of Ronald Koeman. Albertini was also an accurate penalty kick and set piece taker, who could curl the ball well, but also kick with power, and was known for often striking the ball without a run-up during dead ball situations. Although he was fundamentally a hardworking, intelligent, and creative central midfielder or deep-lying playmaker with excellent technical ability, he was able to complete himself tactically and improve upon the defensive and offensive aspect of his game play throughout his career, demonstrating his adeptness as a ball-winner; his wide range of skills made him a versatile player, allowed him to play in several other midfield positions, including out on the wing, due to his crossing ability. In the Milan side and Italy side, he was seen as the heir to Carlo Ancelotti, and later also as the predecessor to Andrea Pirlo as the playmaking pivot of the teams' midfield, due to his ability to create goalscoring opportunities or control the game in midfield and set the tempo of his team's play with his distribution, and he was often regarded as the "creative brain" and "metronome" of his teams. Many football experts draw parallels between Albertini and Pirlo, the midfield ace of European and world football, who emerged as his heir in Italian football, both for Milan and for the Italian national side. Like Albertini, Pirlo is a deep-lying playmaker who also possesses excellent technique, ball skills, vision and passing range, and who is also a set-piece specialist and a goal threat from distance. In addition his footballing skills, Albertini was also known for his correct behaviour on the pitch, and was seen as a symbol and leader for both his club and national sides. Personal life Albertini is a practising Roman Catholic. Career statistics Club *European competitions include the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup International Honours Club A.C. Milan Serie A (5): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99 Supercoppa Italiana (3): 1992, 1993, 1994 UEFA Champions League (1): 1993–94 UEFA Super Cup (2): 1989, 1994 S.S. Lazio Coppa Italia (1): 2003–04 F.C. Barcelona La Liga (1): 2004–05 International Italy UEFA European Under-21 Championship (1): 1992 FIFA World Cup runner-up (1): 1994 UEFA European Championship runner-up (1): 2000 Individual UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2000 A.C. Milan Hall of Fame Orders 4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006 5th Class / Knight: