This weekly feature is here to teach about the true greats of The Beautiful Game and how they are interconnected through generations of stories, feats, and tall tales.

These are the players that have made the game what it is today.

These are... World Cup Legends
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If Beckenbauer brought the position of the libero to the forefront of the world game, Gaetano Scirea was the one that made the position exclusively Italian per excellence. He took the libero position to the next level, making it the first offensive option instead of strictly being the last bastion on defense.

Scirea's grace and style made him the player that raised the bar for defenders like Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini to take into the future and give the position glamour. Scirea was pure class on that field as he was the fulcrum of the Vecchia Signora backline during the 70's and for the Italian national team in 1982.

His ability to find the ball, clear danger, and deftly make the first pass on a breakout was what added a new dimension to Italian catenaccio. More amazingly was that he was capable during his entire career to never earn a red card, especially in the position that he played for more than 14 years.

More importantly he was a reflection of the team. Intangibles like his calm attitude were infectious. There was no doubt that he was a leader of not just a group, but of men. Former teammate Dino Zoff mentioned that whenever players were nervous, "...they came to "Switzerland". (nickname for Scirea and Zoff's room in Italian bunker in Spain '82). It was the most tranquil place around."

Gaetano Scirea was born in Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy on May 25th, 1953. From a young age he showed the skills to be a top finisher at forward, but ran through a period of hard luck as he only scored one goal in 58 matches with Atalanta. His first two years were frustrating offensively, but he showed a great deal of potential as a defender.
Juventus coach Čestmír Vycpálek requested young "Gai" to come to Turin and become the final piece to that formidable bianconeri Iron Curtain that had legends like Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile, Antonello Cuccureddu, and Francesco Morini. This group of players would also be the backbone of the Italian national team. Add to that the presence of the eternal Dino Zoff under the sticks and capocannoniere Roberto Bettega as the primary scoring option up front and Juventus were one of the most dominant teams ever.

While Zoff, Cabrini, Tardelli, and Bettega got the headlines and mercurial Gentile received the ire of opposing fans, Scirea was the ice cold leader that kept the Juventus dynasty alive even when players like Platini, Boniek, Rossi, and took over in the early and mid 80's. Scirea was the continuous figure in the Juventus dynasty.

Scirea complemented his backline perfectly and was the player that gave synchronicity to the defense. He also gave Juve's play a particular rhythm which no one was able to keep up with.

National Team callup
Let's not kid ourselves, Scirea's position was not the most envious for any upcoming player. For a 21-year-old kid to replace a legend like Sandro Salvadore was going to be a challenge and he was up to it. So much so was his quiet confidence that by 1975, Scirea would earn a call up from national team coach Enzo Bearzot.

"Men like Scirea no longer exist. He was always ready to give you a hand, not only on the pitch"- Antonio Cabrini.

Italy would be left at the altar on several occasions in the late 70's and early 80's, but still impressed with their compact style of play. Although they would defeat eventual champs Argentina in the World Cup, their results would be disappointing as they would end up in fourth place.

After ending up in fourth place in the European Championships in 1980, Italy came to Spain in 1982 with hopes of winning their third World Cup. Things did not go too well at first as they drew their first three group stage matches against Poland, Peru, and Cameroon.

Poland, who virtually brought back all of their stars from the 1978 World Cup, would end up winning the group and things looked bleak for the Azzurri as they would be grouped with defending champs Argentina and prohibited favorites Brazil who had players the likes of Zico, Falcão, Junior, Socrates, Toninho Cerezo, and Eder. Italy would defeat Argentina and then see the verdeamarelha dismantle the Argentines 3-1 and young phenom Diego Maradona bow out in ungracious fashion.

Brazil needing only a draw face Italy and that encounter would end up being a football classic. It was Paolo Rossi time in the World Cup as he would score the next five goals for the Italians in the next two matches. Although the Juventus poacher was getting all the plaudits for his play, it was Scirea the most consistent player in the tournament.

Scirea's Italy would face Poland and fellow teammate Zbigniew Boniek once again and Rossi would be the star of the game as he scored a brace and led the Azzurri to an eventual showdown with the strong German side. Germany came into the final with an emotional win against Michel Platini's France, but would prove too drained to compete against the inspired Italians.

Rossi would score a sixth time and Marco Tardelli would help the Italian and Juventus cause with goals in the final. Alessandro Altobelli would seal the deal for Enzo Bearzot's side as Dino Zoff and Gaetano Scirea would finally celebrate the biggest prize in their respective careers.

Scirea would also be part of the Italian national team in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, but they would exit the tournament in second round after losing to France 2-0 thaks to goals by Michel Platini and Yannick Stopyra. He would then retire from the national team with one of the most impressive international resumes in Italian football history.

Juventus would continue their winning ways in the Scirea era as they would win eight more titles in the next three years. La Vecchia Signora dominated their league and were perennial powers but still had one more title to win- the European Cup. They would face defending champions Liverpool in Brussels, Belgium in a match that was anticipated to be a clash of titans, unfortunately the pre-game clash between fans would make this evening at Heysel Stadium a dark day for world football. Those events overshadowed the 1-0 result that favored Juventus in the end.

After slowing down considerably and his powerful runs on attack diminished,"Gai" decided to hang up his boots in 1988. He would go into an adminstrative role with Juventus immediately after as a player scout. Unfortunately for the football world, Scirea would tragically die in a horrific accident on a scouting trip to Poland.

Scirea's legacy is one of greatness both on and off the pitch. He is one of nine players in European football history to win every single title available to a professional player. He is also one of five (including teammates Stefano Tacconi, Cabrini, and Sergio Brio) to win the three big trophies in European football.

Upon his death, Juventus fans dedicated the Curva Sud at the Estadio Dell'Alpi as the Curva Scirea. Even former national team coach Enzo Bearzot proposed that the Italian number 6 jersey be retired by the Azzurri. That request would end up being rejected by FIFA.

Italian football set up an award in his name in 1992 to award a personality for their dedication to the game as. This year's recipient will be Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

Next week, Paulo Roberto Falcão