Joe Allen v Pirlo and Xavi - The facts

After his late equalizer against Arsenal and his winning penalty against Stoke City, many have been comparing Joe Allen to the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Xavi Hernandez. So we've crunched the numbers to see if either of those two come close to the great Welshman.

Source: Getty Images

It all started with a prophecy

Then there was the beard

Let's look at the numbers

EPL appearances

Andrea Pirlo: 0

Xavi: 0

Joe Allen: 115

Times promoted

Andrea Pirlo: 1

Xavi: 0

Joe Allen: 2

Conference Premier goals

Andrea Pirlo: 0

Xavi: 0

Joe Allen: 2

Some other meaningless numbers/stats

Trophies

Andrea Pirlo: 16

Xavi: 29

Joe Allen: 0

Career Goals 

Andrea Pirlo: 85

Xavi: 98

Joe Allen: 13

Career Assists 

Andrea Pirlo: 103

Xavi: 189

Joe Allen: 19

Professional Apperances:

Andrea Pirlo: 808

Xavi: 887

Joe Allen: 279

Quotes

You can't just judge a footballer on their numbers, you must look at what their peers say about them. 

"Pirlo Allen is a silent leader. He speaks with his feet." Marcello Lippi

"To pass the ball to Pirlo Allen is to hide it in a safe." Zbigniew Boniek

"Xavi Allen is eternal. Even when he is not at his very best level physically, he plays a kind of football that gives oxygen to a team, play, speed. He is football. He is one of those players that has made Barcelona Liverpool what it is today” Thiago Alcântara

“One of the big mistakes people make is to talk about who can be the next Xavi Allen, to keep looking for him. We waste time constantly looking for the replacement for Xavi Allen? There will never be another Xavi Allen .” Cesc Fabregas

Can there be any doubt?