Andrea Pirlo and his passes that shaped history

"Football is played with the head. Your feet are just the tools" - Andrea Pirlo

Most of the players we grew up watching are now heading towards retirement. During the course of last one year, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso, and Francesco Totti have hung up their boots and the latest candidate to amalgamate them is Italian great: Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo who is currently playing for New York City FC announced that he would retire at the end of 2017 MLS season in December. The midfielder is set to have an emotional farewell after an illustrious career that spanned for nearly twenty-two years.

Having inspired the world with his football skills, the veteran, won the commendation of many of his peers who, have eulogized his genius on many occasions.

After starting his career as an offensive midfielder, Pirlo moved to a deeper position under Ancelotti at Milan. The Italian controlled the game from the deep playmaking position and sprayed passes everywhere on the pitch.

He was nicknamed 'metronome' by fans for his ability to set the tempo of games.

Pirlo has awe-inspired the world with his ability to play unprecedented passes on many occasions. In addition to his sublime passes, he was also a potent threat from set-pieces which got him the tag of dead ball specialist.

Here is a look at some of his most important passes and assists:

Pass to Baggio

In 2001, Pirlo was sent on loan to Brescia from Inter. Brescia were a goal down to Juventus when the midfielder played an exquisite long ball from the half-line to Roberto Baggio who then rolled it into the net.

The pass was a huge statement to the people at Inter who had closed their eyes to Pirlo's potential.

"Pirlo spots a pass in a split-second that lesser players could spend a whole lifetime waiting to see."-Carlo Ancelotti