MATTEO BRIGHI possesses the second-highest Fifa rating of all time.
The former Juventus midfielder was given a stunning 97 score on Fifa 2003.
AlamyMatteo Brighi signed for Juventus in 1999.[/caption]
ReutersThe midfielder starred against Juventus for loan club Bologna[/caption]
Despite the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Paolo Maldini being in their pomps, it was Brighi that was somehow the best player on the game.
Brighi signed for Juve in 1999, and was not your typical wonderkid.
Juventus had intended to have the teenage Brighi play for their youth team during the 1999-2000 season – but he insisted on staying at hometown club Rimini… because he wanted to finish his diploma in accounting.
This meant that he remained in Italy’s fourth-tier, despite being among the country’s biggest talents.
After finally arriving in Turin he would feature just 12 times during the 2000-01 campaign, leading to him being loaned out to Bologna.
His campaign at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara proved to be a defining one, as he earned Serie A‘s Young Player of the Year award under future Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin.
Brighi’s performances somehow earned him a 97-rating on Fifa 2003, making him the best player on the game.
Oliver Kahn was second with 95, and Edgar Davids third on 94.
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Only Ronaldo the following year with 98 ever earned a higher Fifa rating than Brighi.
Despite the hype which led to frequent Fernando Redondo comparisons, Brighi wasn’t given another chance at Juventus.
Instead 50 per cent of his rights were sold to Parma, where he struggled to maintain the same kind of form.
A shy character, Brighi lasted just a year at Parma before being loaned to Brescia.
Juventus bought him back in 2004 only to include him in a package to sign Roma star Emerson.
Rather than give Brighi a chance, Roma then included him in another deal that saw them land Simone Perrotta – sending the former wonderkid to Chievo on loan.
Brighi would spend three seasons with the Verona-club – even helping them to Champions League qualification.
And after 94 appearances for his loan side, he was finally given a chance at Roma.
He eventually earned a new contract in the capital and even helped them finish second in Serie A – going on to play 141 times for them before leaving in 2013.
The rest of Brighi’s career saw him become something of a journeyman – turning out for Atalanta, Torino, Sassuolo, Perugia and Empoli, finishing his career with the latter in 2019.
From the human point of view he is a splendid boy
Marcello Lippi
He even made a brief return to former loan club Bologna, but couldn’t recapture the magic of his previous spell there.
While he didn’t win the big trophies that his peers did and only appeared for his country four times, Brighi still had huge supporters within the game.
Legendary Italian boss Marcelo Lippi said of him: “From the human point of view he is a splendid boy, and from the technical point of view he is one of those diligent midfielders that every trainer would want to have.
“To my warning, at the beginning of his career, he was praised so excessively that too many expectations were created around him.”
Now 42, Brighi has previously admitted that perhaps he didn’t big himself up enough during his career.
In 2013, he told Sky: “I like to work, not talk. Other players talk and sell themselves, certainly better than I do. I don’t blame them for it. It’s just not me.”
Carlo Ancelotti reckons Brighi could have gone even further in his career.
His former Juventus boss said: “In some ways he looks like me – he’s a simple, linear player. He should only be less shy.”
Times Newspapers LtdBrighi played against Arsenal in the Champions League for Roma[/caption]
AFPHe also faced off with David Beckham in Serie A[/caption]