Andrea Pirlo reinvented the role of the deep-lying playmaker, an Italian midfielder of serene composure who conducted matches from in front of his defence. With immaculate passing and a gift for slowing or quickening the tempo at will, he made the game look unhurried and elegant.
He won league titles and the Champions League with AC Milan, then, when many assumed his best was behind him, moved to Juventus and inspired a run of dominant Serie A triumphs. His dead-ball delivery, all dip and swerve, was a thing of quiet menace.
A World Cup winner with Italy, Pirlo is remembered as one of the most influential midfielders of his era, a player whose artistry redefined how the position could be played.