Andrea Pirlo, Italy's immutable maestro of the midfield, will miss the European Championships for the first time in his career.
Since debuting for the Azzurri in 2002, the NYCFC designated player and former Serie A mega-star has capped in all three Euro tournaments and all three World Cups to date. But when Antonio Conte revealed his preliminary 30-man squad today, he chose to flesh out his central midfield with an eye toward youth: AS Roma legend Daniele de Rossi and Lazio man Marco Parolo are the lone men in the middle over the age of 30, joined by the fresh legs of Marco Benassi (age 21, Torino), Danilo Cataldi (21, Lazio), Jorginho (24, Napoli), and Roberto Soriano (25, Sampdoria).