5 Reasons why Andrea Pirlo is greater than Xavi

As Barcelona and Spain’s guiding light to their greatest triumphs during the most tumultuous periods in their histories, Xavi has been underpinned by many people alike as the leading midfielder of this past generation – the one that is being phased out by younger talents as we speak.Multiple Ballon D’Or nominations, finishing in the top 3 twice, winning all there is to win at both club and international level in the last 5-6 years have brought to Xavi a name and fame that perhaps no other central midfielder of this generation has gotten. In fact, there are a few people who assert that he always gets less credit than he deserves.While that notion might be true, we have ample reason to believe why Pirlo’s career is a greater one and his legacy should be even more than that of Xavi’s. We list out the most important ones in the slides to come.Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda

#5 Leadership

Pirlo has always been willing to take up a leader’s role and has been recognized as a vocal, motivational leader who leads by example both in the dressing room and on the pitch with his game. As one of the few players to play for Inter, Milan and Juventus, he has often been a unifying link in the Italian national team’s dressing room and has refused to get into the mind games and comments that are often passed on both sides of a derby rivalry.

This is in contrast to Xavi, who has been known to make remarks about Real Madrid’s players and the club, despite the fact that a sizeable chunk of the Spanish national team is from the capital-based club. The El Clasico rivalry has been known to get to him even though Barca and Real Madrid players are known to be generally friendly outside of the pitch.

Even on the pitch, after Puyol reached the end of his career, the onus naturally came on Xavi to lead the team on the pitch, but his impact as a leader fell significantly short of symbolic. He is a quiet, reserved personality and this works against his ability to lead men. Pirlo, on the other hand, has welcomed the attention and responsibilities that come as a senior player.