The teenager has been linked to some of Europe's biggest clubs, but there are some key differences between him and the Italy legend
It is easy to see why Sandro Tonali has been so readily compared to Andrea Pirlo.
As well as occupying the same area of the field as the Italy legend – sitting just in front of the defence to act as a metronome for his side – he possesses a similar air of grace on the ball, even at the tender age of 18.
Indeed, it seems that Tonali is almost purposefully cultivating the aura of Pirlo, who retired from the game in 2017.