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Stars in stripes

SINGAPORE — One is blessed with the vision to spot even the smallest of openings and the other has the deadly instinct to put away what is on offer. Together, they have plundered Serie A to make Juventus the undisputed champions of the 2014 season.

SINGAPORE — One is blessed with the vision to spot even the smallest of openings and the other has the deadly instinct to put away what is on offer. Together, they have plundered Serie A to make Juventus the undisputed champions of the 2014 season.

And the duo are certainly the players that many, if not most fans will be looking out for when Juventus take to the National Stadium pitch tonight to face the Singapore Selection. This is notwithstanding the other stars in the Italian side such as Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra, Arturo Vidal, Fernando Llorente and Paul Pogba.

But what is Andrea Pirlo without Carlos Tevez and what is Tevez without Pirlo?

They say in Italy that 35-year-old Pirlo can thread the ball through the eye of a needle, nicknaming him The Professor or The Architect.

And Serie A knows first-hand the finishing ability of 30-year-old Tevez, the Argentinian striker whose 19 goals last season put him third on the scoring chart, three goals behind Golden Boot winner, Ciro Immobile of Torino.

Both Pirlo and Tevez spoke highly of each other as they spoke to TODAY in one-on-one interviews yesterday ahead of this evening’s friendly at the new stadium.

“Pirlo is a phenomenon. He is such a wonderful player, blessed with so much skill and talent and I have always enjoyed playing alongside him,” said Tevez. “He makes Juventus tick, especially in midfield.”

Likewise, Pirlo lavished praise on Tevez, saying: “He is one of the best finishers in the Italian league, which is very competitive.”

Pirlo has spent his entire career in Italy, starting with Brescia in 1995, then Inter Milan and Reggina, before a big-money transfer to AC Milan and finally to Juventus. Not once did he contemplate a move abroad.

“Why should I move? Serie A is a top-level league and life in Italy is comfortable,” said Pirlo, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 who currently commands a €3.5 million (S$5.8 million) annual salary in Turin.

But he offered an insight into his future plans, as he inches towards the twilight of a long, successful career.

“Two more years with Juventus, then maybe I will move to (Major League Soccer) in the United States,” said Pirlo, who confesses to not knowing why he is considered special by many and regarded with awe in the international arena.

“I don’t know. Maybe I was born lucky. Mother Nature has made me such and given me the skills and the talent to succeed, and I am grateful for that,” he said.

As for Tevez, his is a different story.

“We Argentinians ... we work hard on our skills and we are so passionate about the game,” he said.

“That’s why you see so many Argentinians playing professional football all over the world, even in Singapore and Malaysia. We are a determined lot, we can make a success out of wherever we play.”

Starting his career back home, Tevez shot to prominence with his stints at English Premier League sides West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City, before Juventus came calling.

“Life in the English Premier League is different. So too Italian football, the way they train, the football culture and even the food. But I have no problem with that,” he added.

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