The Bosman Ruling: 5 of the greatest free transfers ever

#1 Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

Pirlo: the steal of the century

Most of the players on this list have either forced a move or left the club as they could not fit into the selling team’s philosophy. But what AC Milan did was nothing short of a crime.

At 32-years of age, Andrea Pirlo was considered finished at the San Siro. Although Pirlo’s legs were on a decline, the sharpness of his brain was still at its peak. That is what Milan underestimated and ultimately Juventus pounced on.

Termed by Gigi Buffon as the signing of the century, Pirlo helped the Old Lady usher in a period of success in which they have won 7 league titles on the bounce. The Italian maestro himself was involved in four Scudetti wins, making a total 164 appearances across four seasons before moving on to America and the MLS.

As the Rossoneri have faltered since Pirlo’s departure, the Italian himself got a new lease of life at Juventus, helping him prolong his international career too. As one of the biggest cases of underestimation, Pirlo will go down as the best piece of business Juventus did under the nose of their biggest rivals.