We miss Andrea Pirlo. A lot. Yes, he plays in the MLS but come on – watching Pirlo’s passing dismantle teams on the international stage is something that we’ll never witness live again.
That’s where Leonardo Bonucci comes in. The Italian defender sent a raking pass forward for Emanuele Giaccherini to score the first goal as Italy beat Belgium 2-0 at Euro 2016 and brought back memories of Andrea Pirlo, while sending the internet into crazy mode as well.
He picked up the ball just behind the half-line and then sent… oh forget it. Just watch.
And here are some reactions on Twitter, which are perfectly justified…
That pass by Bonucci deserves the Euro trophy. The best I’ve seen since the beginning of time!
— Common (@_Alekii_) June 13, 2016
That long ball from Bonucci was probably the best pass from distance I’ve ever seen from a defenseman. Unbelievable.
— Chuck Vindaloo (@_vbp) June 13, 2016
See how good Bonucci is, he’s not just their best defender he’s also the Azzurri’s new Andrea Pirlo! #ITA #EURO2016
— Scott Johnston (@Thefootyblognet) June 13, 2016
After that amazing assist yesterday from @bonucci_leo19 @SamiKhedira complimented Leo. Love the #Juventus spirit. pic.twitter.com/iVBwrsfC9K
— Juventus DOC UAE (@juaeclub) June 14, 2016
And here’s what Bonucci had to say about the assist…
I always did try that kind of pass and doing it regularly leads to improvement, as I’ve done it quite a few times at Juventus and now for Italy. We hope this is just the beginning, because we came here to amaze.
