AC Milan hero Andrea Pirlo doesn’t think Kalvin Phillips possesses the same quality that he had as a player. Phillips, who joined Manchester City from Leeds last summer, has been branded the Yorkshire Pirlo by some Whites fans following a string of spellbinding performances in recent years.
“He’s a very good player but he doesn’t have my quality,” the Italian said. “He plays very well in the same position. But we don’t have the same skills.”
Pirlo was regarded as one of the biggest talents of his generation and helped Italy win the World Cup in 2006. He won two Champions League trophies and two Serie A titles with AC Milan, before winning the Italian title four more times with Juventus. And it isn’t the first time the 43-year-old has had his say on Phillips.
“It’s true – in England there’s never been this kind of player,” Pirlo said at the start of last season. “There have been great midfielders over the years with different skills. There’s the boy at Leeds (Phillips), who’s a bit of a regista (playmaker). But we’re a bit different. He doesn’t have the same characteristics I had.”
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“It’s always nice to get the recognition of some unbelievable players,” Phillips explained during his time at Elland Road. “The night before the final [Leeds team-mate] Jack Harrison, who used to play at New York City with him, sent me a video of Pirlo.
“It was a video to me saying ‘good luck in the final’ and he wishes me all the best – so that was very nice. It was a very nice feeling and obviously I thought it was going to say something about Italy but, no, he wished me well – full respect for that.
“I just got the video and I was like ‘oh my God.’ I’ve never met him – I’d like to meet him to be honest. I’ve seen that he is a very cool guy, but I’ve heard he’s a nice guy as well. To have someone on the other side, on the other team, wish you well – and especially a player like that – it is always a great feeling.”
