Andrea Pirlo

For those of you who don't know Andrea Pirlo, he is a creative midfield player for AC Milan and Italy. His passing and vision is the catalyst of many goal scoring opportunities for both club and country. The most unique quality about Pirlo that makes him stand out is the fact that he does all his creating from a deep midfield role!
Most creative midfielders play right behind the strikers in a withdrawn position. Pirlo sits right in front of the central defenders and controls the tempo for his team. While he plays he calmly jogs around the pitch and just picks out these incredible long range passes. It looks effortless, like a walk in the park. Some games it looks like he's barely even breaking a sweat!
His ability to strike a dead ball (free kick, pk, corner kick) is uncanny as well. He's one of the best free kick specialists in the world, accounting for majority of his goals. Take the time to check out a Milan or Italian National team game and watch this artist perform his craft. He's perfect proof that 90% of the game of soccer is played with your mind, and athleticism makes up the other 10%.