Messi is the best player ever, Guardiola is the best coach ever, Xavi is the best midfielder ever, Neuer is the best goalkeeper ever. By pure coincidence they all peaked around the early 2010s.

Nobody on that Milan team is on Messi’s level, and if you watched 2009, you would realize just how much playing with Messi inflated Xavi’s assist tally.

Explain how I’m wrong

The only difference between Pirlo and Xavi is that Xavi played with Messi at club level, and with about 6 other world class midfielders at international level. Pirlo had quality teammates as well, but not to that level.

And even so, Pirlo still won everything and showed greater longevity and adaptability than Xavi.

I wish they would just give it to him, everyone knows he won 2020 anyway.

I stumbled on a newsletter from 2009 (I can’t find it anymore) where they rated the top 100 greatest goalkeepers of all time, and Buffon was ranked 2nd behind Yashin. He was only 31 years old at the time.

I found that very interesting, because from all the revisionism you read, you’d think he was a longevity merchant and his peak was nothing special.