Gaetano Scirea won nearly everything a defender can win, and he did it without ever being sent off. For a defender, the second part may be the harder one.
He was the sweeper at the heart of the great Juventus side from 1974 to 1988 and won 7 Serie A titles there. He rarely needed to tackle, because he read the game early, and when he won the ball he stepped out of defence with it like a midfielder.
The full set of European trophies
Scirea was one of the first players to win all three major UEFA club competitions: the UEFA Cup in 1977, the Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and the European Cup in 1985. In between he won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy, as part of one of the meanest defences the tournament has seen.
His fair play was famous. He is widely reported never to have been sent off in his professional career, which for a defender in the Italian game of that era is remarkable.
He died in a car accident in 1989, aged just 36. The Juventus fans' end, the Curva Scirea, carries his name.
He proved that a defender could be among the best in the world and a perfect sportsman at the same time. World Cup winner, European champion and seven-time champion of Italy, the gentleman sweeper is our number 2.
Tomorrow: number 1, the greatest defender on our list.
