On his 47th birthday, I reflect not on the goals he scored, but on the spaces between them—the pauses, the decisions, the unspoken leadership. As a former data scientist turned content architect, I’ve seen how his tactical mind reshaped modern football: 648 appearances, 211 assists, 106 caps—not stats as trophies, but as silent symphonies of control. This isn’t celebrity worship. It’s cerebral elegance.