Adrian Mutu

The Romanian striker played at Euro 2000 and 2008, and with the very best in Europe during spells with Parma, Chelsea, Juve and Fiorentina

GK GIANLUIGI BUFFON He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world, ever. It shows just how good he is that not only he is still going at the age of 38, but people still believe him to be one of the best in his position. RB CHRISTIAN PANUCCI He rarely, if ever, got the praise his performances deserved. His approach was to not do anything for himself, but work hard for his team-mates. He was tough to beat and strong in the tackle. CB LILIAN THURAM He was one of the best in the world, and a really nice guy with it – he deserves everything he has won. They all talked about him when I was at Parma, and then I got to play with him at Juventus. CB FABIO CANNAVARO Nobody is getting through this defence, not even me! His awards speak for themselves. His intelligence was the main strength of his game. He knew what would happen before anyone else. LB GIANLUCA ZAMBROTTA The best man to complete this back four. He was part of a very successful Juventus team and played his part in attack and defence. He never stopped working on the training pitch, either. CM GHEORGHE HAGI I am lucky enough to call him my friend, and the godfather to my son. He’s a hero to the whole of Romania. Equalling his goalscoring record was a huge honour, and a moment I will always cherish. CM PATRICK VIEIRA Vieira may not have been at the highest point of his career when he joined Juventus, but he had so much natural ability that it didn’t matter. He never let you stop for a moment on the pitch. CM PAVEL NEDVED He was a big part of everything we were able to achieve at Juventus. I played the best football of my career with him, and the only disappointing thing is that I could not play with him for longer. CF ROBERTO BAGGIO At Inter Milan I was young and had just come from Romania – then suddenly I came face to face with my childhood hero. Learning from the best natural striker around was an absolute privilege. CF RONALDO He was only a little bit older than me when we were together at Inter, but I saw what he was doing and thought I could reach that level. He was so quick, and the best finisher I have ever seen. CF ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC It didn’t really work out for him at Juventus, but that wasn’t his fault: his skill level wasn’t appreciated by everyone. I think that was what made him want to be the best in the world.