Heart. Power. Glory. Fabio Cannavaro built his legend in a position that rarely produces global superstars. He was a central defender, not especially tall, yet in 2006 he stood above the football world. Born in Naples on 13 September 1973,…
Vision. Control. Genius. Andrea Pirlo played football as if the noise around him did not exist. While others ran, shouted and collided, he appeared to have time. That illusion became his greatest gift. Born in Flero, near Brescia, on 19…
Calm. Authority. Immortality. Dino Zoff became a symbol of Italian football not by being spectacular, but by making the extraordinary look normal. Born in Mariano del Friuli on 28 February 1942, Zoff grew into one of the greatest goalkeepers in…
Class. Vision. Precision. Alessandro Del Piero became one of the defining faces of Italian football not through noise, but through elegance. Born in Conegliano, Veneto, on 9 November 1974, he began playing in the youth teams of San Vendemiano before…
Reflexes. Courage. Greatness. Gianluigi Buffon spent more than a quarter of a century redefining what an elite goalkeeper could be. Born in Carrara on 28 January 1978 into a family of athletes, he originally played in midfield before moving into…
Charisma. Loyalty. Genius. Francesco Totti's career is difficult to separate from the city of Rome itself. Born in the Italian capital on 27 September 1976, he grew up supporting AS Roma and entered the club's youth system as a boy.…
Talent. Imagination. Magic. Roberto Baggio belongs to the rare group of footballers remembered as much for the feelings they created as for the trophies they won. Born in Caldogno, near Vicenza, on 18 February 1967, he showed exceptional talent from…
Elegance. Leadership. Legend. Paolo Maldini was born into football history and then created an even larger history of his own. Born in Milan on 26 June 1968, he was the son of Cesare Maldini, captain of AC Milan's first European…
Discipline. Leadership. Legend. Franco Baresi was never the biggest defender on the field, but for two decades he seemed to see the game a second before everyone else. Born in Travagliato, near Brescia, on 8 May 1960, he entered AC…
Power. Passion. Myth. There are footballers who become famous, and there are footballers who become part of a place. Gigi Riva became Sardinia. Luigi Riva was born in Leggiuno, in Lombardy, on 7 November 1944. After beginning his professional career…