Monday night,  Andrea Pirlo has not won his fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or. Moreover, he was not even selected in the top three. Well yeah … he should have played in Spain.

Michel Platini said-Pirlo is unique, he plays very well. In my opinion, yes, he can really win the Ballon d’Or.

Everyone was smartly dressed in the room on that night in Zurich.  However, in the audience of players, coaches and ancient legends, nobody saw the player with the most class of 2012. Andrea Pirlo.

Look at the best 11, what is the midfield?  Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta. Three Spaniards. Three European Champions. A winner of the Liga. Two winners of the Copa del Rey. And Pirlo?  Was there no room in the eleven players for the Euro finalist and Italian champion, undefeated throughout the season? Well we got the answer yesterday at the ceremony. No, there was no room for Pirlo.

Moreover, there was no room for him on the podium of the Golden Ball. Well, no, what for? What would Pirlo do there? After all, what has he accomplished this season to dare to think that he can squeeze between a Madrilene and Catalan? If the heart only brings subjective responses, statistics speak objectively. In 2012, Andrea Pirlo has managed 2947 passes on 3368 he attempted, or 87.5% success rate. Nobody has done better in the five major European leagues, not even the tightrope Barça. With his passing, Pirlo has created 141 goalscoring chances. Again, a European record. And you should see what kind of passes they are. Clinical passes, laser passes. In addition, Pirlo had a major role in everything he has undertaken this year. With Juventus, he was out of this world, and it is no coincidence that his team won to the title of Italian champion without losing any match.

Andrea Pirlo admits that Spain has the best passing game on the planet, but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest if not the greatest playmaker in the world today.

At the Euro 2012, some say he failed to perform at the final. Wrong! Italy totally missed out on the final, yes, but certainly not Pirlo, who was one of the few (if not the only one) to invent things, to try to give a jolt to a team that was clearly burnt out. Is there any talk concerning of his quarter final against England? Do you want to talk about his Panenka? The perfect execution of a gesture far from easy to achieve, the intelligence to do this at the perfect time to reverse the psychological balance, the charisma to continue running  to go and challenge Joe Hart and look him in the eye to finish him. In short, pure genius. And it’s not as if this genius was revealed this season, as if by magic.

Whatever think those who “discovered”  him during the Euro, Andrea Pirlo is one of the best players in the world for at least ten years. Recently, in an interview Alessandro Nesta talked about his meeting with the midfielder during his first game at Milanello in 2002. “Pirlo, I thought he was a normal player. In fact, when I arrived in Milan, he had just arrived from Inter, and I said: “But who is he? He’s a phenomenon.” “A phenomenon that during the ten years he spent in AC Milan would win everything, being the barometer of the team of Ancelotti. Two Scudetti, two Champions Leagues, Supercups of  World Club, and culminating to a World Cup in 2006, during which he was quite possibly the best Italian player. His pass to Fabio Grosso in the 118th minute of the game against Germany, which propels Italy in the final, will remain in the history of Italian football and world football, both for its perfection at an advanced stage of the game and for its importance.

Pirlo has found a new youth under the shirt of Juventus, where he established himself as the best player of the season in Italy.  Andrea Pirlo is not playing in Spain. He plays in the country of fake bets, racist chants and penalty points. Andrea Pirlo does not score 91 goals a year. He scores a few kicks from time to time. Andrea Pirlo doesn’t deliver sharp statements to the press. He prefers to remain silent and staying on track. Andrea Pirlo will never win the Ballon d’Or as Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, or, in their time, Thierry Henry, Paolo Maldini and Raul. “The compliments of my teammates are the most beautiful thing because they play football like me, they play with the ball. Receiving the praises of great players, that’s what matters to me “assured the player.

They said:

Ronaldo: “The Golden Ball, I would have given it to Pirlo: he is a great player, he played a huge Euro, but this award is especially for those who score. Anyway, he will forever remain one of the greatest. ”

Gianfranco Zola: “If you just look at the numbers, Messi is leading the race. But I would have given the Golden Ball to Pirlo, a great player. ”

Fabio Cannavaro: “The Golden Ball? For me, it is clear that the two most deserving are Iniesta and Pirlo. ”

Vicente del Bosque: “Yes, Pirlo can totally win the Ballon d’Or. He is a complete player, capable of creating the game and finalize actions. ”

Cesare Prandelli: “Pirlo deserves the Ballon d’Or. He is a player that everyone would dream to have in his team. ”

Michel Platini: “Pirlo is unique, he plays very well. In my opinion, yes, he can really win the Ballon d’Or. ”