Andrea Barzagli, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Italian club Juventus.
A three-time member of the Serie A Team of the Year, Barzagli is regarded as one of Italy's and Serie A's best and most consistent defenders. After playing for several smaller Italian clubs in his early career, he eventually came to prominence while playing for Palermo, and later won five consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus between 2012 and 2016, as well as a Bundesliga title in 2009, during his time with German club VfL Wolfsburg.
At international level, he has represented the Italian national football team at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal, two FIFA World Cups (2006 and 2014), two UEFA European Championships (2008 and 2012), and at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he also won a bronze medal. He was most notably a member of the Italian 2006 World Cup winning squad, as well as a starting member of the Italian squad that reached the UEFA Euro 2012 final.
Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation,Barzagli is known for his strong and powerful physical build as a centre-back, and for being "strong in terms of anticipation, concentration and positional sense." He has stood out in Italy and in Europe in recent years, due to his marking, aerial prowess, and tackling ability, as well as his correct behaviour, capacity to read the game, and his adeptness in one on one situations; these attributes have enabled him to be voted to the Serie A Team of the Year for three consecutive seasons, also making him an important member of both his club and national sides. His calm composure, tactical awareness, pace, consistency, technique, and ball playing ability have recently enabled him to be regarded as one of the best and most complete defenders in the world. Although he is usually deployed as a centre-back in a three or four-man defence, he is also capable of playing as a full-back on the right flank. Due to his consistent defensive performances in recent years, he has been given the nicknames "The Wall" and "La Roccia" (the rock) by fans. |
