Today, Spain’s coach Luis Aragones made a scatching attack on Gattuso, saying that if Gattuso is a great player, he is a priest. Though the Spain’s coach said jokingly, some how I would like to highlight the importance and significance of Gattuso to the Azzurri, and that "he is a great player in his own way!"

Gattuso is not a player who will provide a touch of brilliance that Pirlo provided. Nor is he a player who can shoot from long range and score. To Gattuso, his main role is to hussle the opponents, make the tackle to win back ball possession, and mark out the players required by the coach. At his best, he can mark out Cristiano Ronaldo, during the 2007 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg.

The definition of a great player, cannot just be limited to players with a touch of brilliance and incredible dribbling skills, instead great player should be a player who is best in his role. Of course, brilliant players are vital to the team scoring goals, but winning require more that just brilliant players. If a team can score a lot goals, but are susceptible to conceding as much, then the team will not win, vice versa.  Gattuso certainly is one of the best in his role, though at times he may not be as efficient due to his single-minded approach to the game.

A winning team needs a balance of every different types of players who played different role. A team with 11 Pirlo will surely lose, so is a team with 11 Torres or Toni. Gattuso may still have his last laugh against Aragones if Gattuso play a part in ousting Spain in the coming Quarterfinals tie.