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Serie A houses a lot of heavyweights. Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma, Napoli being the major ones. However, recent forms of clubs like Atalanta, Lazio and Sassuolo have added more intensity to the Italian domestic league.
The Serie A powerhouse shifted from Milan to Turin in the recent past as Juventus swept consecutive nine title victories. However, under Antonio Conte's (who was also the man behind Juventus's success) guidance, Inter Milan won the Scudetto after 11-years and seem determined to continue their form.
The competition at the top is set to get intense in the coming season with all the top-tier teams equally in contention.
In addition, Serie A has produced a handful of quality stars, with a few of them turning out to be global icons.
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On the same note, let's take a look at the Top five Serie A Players in the 21st Century.
#5 Fabio Cannavaro
We begin our list with the only defender to have won the prestigious Ballon d'Or award — Fabio Cannavaro.
The former Los Blancos centre-back made his mark while playing in Serie A. He won the 2006 FIFA player of the year and became the only defender in history to have collected the accolade.
That same year, Fabio Cannavaro also won the Ballon d'Or award. And became only the third defender to win the trophy behind Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer.
The former Juventus defender also got himself inducted into the FIFA World XI, a couple of times. The 2006 World Cup winning captain is regarded as a complete defender with unmatchable game reading skills.
Despite his relatively small stature as a centre-back, Cannavaro's aerial abilities took his opponents by surprise.
#4 Gianluigi Buffon
Italian shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon's achievements are difficult for anyone to match. Despite having an empty slot in his Champions League trophy cabinet, Gigi Buffon has won a mammoth number of team and individual trophies over the course of his career.
The 43-year-old is lauded as one of the best ever goalkeepers of all time. Some even consider him to simply be the best.
With over 1100 professional career appearances, Buffon holds the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. He achieved that feat in the 2015-16 Serie A season.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHH) named Buffon as the best goalkeeper of 21st century.
#3 Andrea Pirlo
Former Serie A champ Andrea Pirlo is next on our list. His expertise lies in his composure, which earned him the nickname — Mozart.
Here's what the 2006 World Cup winner said about his day ahead of the highly pressurizing World Cup final:
I don’t feel pressure. I don’t give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, 9 July, 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup.
Pirlo played for all the top three teams in Serie A. After becoming a bench-warmer at Inter Milan, Andrea Pirlo switched to city-rivals AC Milan, where he established himself as one of the best in the game.
Since joining AC Milan, Pirlo won 2 x UEFA Champions Leagues, 2 x UEFA Super Cups, 1 x FIFA Club World Cup, 1 x Coppa Italia, and 1 x Supercoppa Italiana. He was bagged by Juventus in 2011, where he continued collecting trophies.
#2 Ricardo Kaka
Another Brazilian to have created a mark in Serie A — Ricardo Kaka.
Kaka was a key element of the formidable AC Milan side during the first decade of this century. The former Real Madrid number 8 was the last man to win the coveted Ballon d'Or award before the Ronaldo-Messi duopoly.
Kaka graced Serie A from 2003 to 2009 before switching to La Liga. He returned to the Italian league for a single season in 2013. While in Serie A, Kaka emerged as a prolific player with killer instincts. His long-range strike was every goalkeeper's nightmare.
Kaka rose to become one of the best ever attackers in the modern era.
#1 Alessandro del Piero
The man for whom Juventus retired the jersey number 10 — Alessandro del Piero.
del Piero was arguably Juventus' most valued player. He spent 19 years at Turin and retired as a club legend in 2012. Alessandro del Piero's lengthy spell in Serie A was full of individual and team trophies.
He held the ability to single-handedly change the tone of the game in the final third. Juve's all-time top goal scorer also holds the record for most number of appearances (705) for the club across all competitions.
del Piero was an impeccable set-piece taker and has converted 42 free-kicks for the Old Lady. A popular figure in and outside football, del Piero's fame never fazed his on-field performance. He earns the top-spot on our list of best Serie A players of the 21st century.
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