Andrea Pirlo vs Bastian Schweinsteiger: Stats Compared
Central / Attacking Midfielder, Italy (born 1979, retired 2017) · Central Midfielder, Germany (born 1984, retired 2019)
Line up Andrea Pirlo next to Bastian Schweinsteiger and the contrasts come quickly. Different decades shaped different demands, and both adapted to theirs brilliantly. Career output puts Andrea Pirlo at 73 goals in 728 games, with Bastian Schweinsteiger at 99 in 657. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Andrea Pirlo is credited with 80 and Bastian Schweinsteiger with 0. Andrea Pirlo departs the game with 13 major pieces of silverware, including 1× FIFA World Cup (2006); Bastian Schweinsteiger with 18, including 1× FIFA World Cup (2014). Andrea Pirlo belonged to the turn of the millennium, dominating with a dictatorial quality; Bastian Schweinsteiger rose in the modern era with a orchestrating edge. Their routes to the top were distinct: Andrea Pirlo built his reputation across Brescia, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, New York City FC, peaking around 2006, while Bastian Schweinsteiger reached his defining level around 2014 after spells with Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Chicago Fire. Greatness, in cases like this, is rarely a zero-sum affair.
180 words · comparison angle: era
Player profiles
Italian playmaker and World Cup winner; six-time Serie A champion and two-time Champions League winner.
“A deep-lying regista whose passing range and free-kick craft orchestrated Italy and Juventus for a decade.”
German midfielder who won the 2014 World Cup and eight Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich.
“A converted winger turned midfield general whose tireless running and passing drove Bayern and Germany.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× UEFA Champions League (2003, 2007)
- 6× Serie A
- 2× Coppa Italia
- 2× UEFA Super Cup (2003, 2007)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2014)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2013)
- 8× Bundesliga
- 7× DFB-Pokal
- 1× FA Cup (2016)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1995 Brescia debut aged 16
- 1998 Signed for Inter Milan but failed to break through
- 2001 Joined AC Milan and his career took off
- 2006 World Cup winner with Italy
- 2011 Free transfer to Juventus
- 2014 Set a Serie A points record with Juventus
- 2015 Joined MLS side New York City FC
- 2002 Bayern Munich debut
- 2006 World Cup third-place on home soil
- 2010 Bayern Champions League final defeat in Madrid
- 2013 Won the treble under Jupp Heynckes
- 2014 World Cup winner, scored in the final bloodied
- 2015 Joined Manchester United
- 2017 Joined Chicago Fire in MLS
The verdict
The numbers give Bastian Schweinsteiger the lead — a clear margin, courtesy of a weightier trophy cabinet.
Bastian Schweinsteiger edges it (a clear margin)
