Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero (born 9 November 1974) is an Italianfootballer who currently plays for Delhi Dynamos FC in IndianSuper League as a deep-lying forward. Del Piero is widelyregarded by players, pundits, and managers as one of thegreatest Italian players of his generation,[4] winning theItalian Footballer of the Year Award in 1998 and 2008, and heis in second place in the ranking of Italian all-time topscorers (345 goals, and behind only Silvio Piola, 390 goals).He played in Juventus F.C. for 19 years (11 years as captain),and holds the club records for goals (290) and appearances(705).

Del Piero scored in all competitions in which he participated.[11] He was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatestliving footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA'scentenary celebrations.[12] He was also voted in the list ofbest European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA GoldenJubilee Poll.[13] In 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paidfootball player from salary, bonuses, and advertising revenue.As of December 2012, he is in tenth place among the UEFAChampions League all-time goalscorers.[14] Along with six awardsin Italy for gentlemanly conduct,[15][16] he has also won theGolden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playingability.

Del Piero has also represented the Italian national team atthree FIFA World Cup and four UEFA European FootballChampionships, most notably winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup,and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He isjoint 4th (with Roberto Baggio) in the Italian national teamtop-scorer ranking, with 27 goals (behind Silvio Piola with 30goals, Giuseppe Meazza with 33 goals, and Luigi Riva with 35goals) in 91 appearances.

Club career

Early career

Del Piero began his rise in 1981 in the ranks of SanVendemiano. In 1988, Del Piero was first spotted by scouts andhe left home at the young age of 13 to play with the youthside of Padova.[21] At the age of 16, he made his debut in SerieB and on 22 November 1992, he scored his first professionalgoal in the 5–0 thrashing of Ternana.[22] In 1993, thanks toGiampiero Boniperti, Del Piero was bought by Juventus for fivebillion lire, with an overlap of 150 million lire per season.[23]

Juventus

Early Domestic and European success

Del Piero celebrates victory in the 1996 Champions Leagueafter defeating Ajax.

In 1993, Del Piero transferred to Juventus F.C. and played forthe Turin giants for 19 seasons until being released in thesummer of 2012.[24] Del Piero made his Serie A debut againstFoggia in September 1993 under manager Giovanni Trapattoni,and he scored his first goal in his next game against Reggianaafter appearing as a substitute. On his full debut forJuventus, he netted a hat-trick against Parma.[25] The nextseason saw Marcello Lippi take over as Juventus manager, andDel Piero would play a more prominent role for the club thatseason, following Roberto Baggio's injury. Del Piero

temporarily took his place in the first team, and Juventuswent on to claim their first Scudetto in eight years in hissecond season with the club; greater success would continue tofollow during the next few seasons. That season, Del Piero wasalso able to capture the Coppa Italia with Juventus, defeatingParma in the final, although they would be defeated by Parmain the UEFA Cup final. During this time, Del Piero earned thenickname "Il Pinturicchio", due to his similar creative style ofplay to Roberto Baggio. This was nickname arose when formerpresident Gianni Agnelli compared the emerging Del Piero tothe renaissance artist Pinturicchio, who was the student ofthe artist "Rafaello", a nickname he had used to describeJuventus team-mate Roberto Baggio.[17] With the Turin club, hewould go on to win the Serie A championship a total of eighttimes, although his 2005 and 2006 Scudetti would be revoked dueto calciopoli.[26]

The following season, Del Piero would inherit Baggio's number10 shirt, following his departure to Milan, who would go on tobeat Juventus and win the Scudetto. That season, Del Pierowould capture the Supercoppa Italiana, and the ChampionsLeague, scoring 6 goals in the competition. Del Piero wouldfollow these victories up with the 1996 UEFA Supercup and the1996 Intercontinental Cup the following season, scoring goalsin both finals, winning the Bravo Award (as the best u-23player in European Competitions), and placing 4th in the 1996Ballon d'Or. Del Piero would also capture his second Serie Atitle with Juventus that season, and would help lead Juventusto their second consecutive Champions League final, althoughhe was unable to start the match due to injury. He came offthe bench to score a goal with a back-heel in the 1997 UEFAChampions League Final, which was, however, unable to preventJuventus from losing 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund.[27] Del Pierowould receive nominations for both the 1997 FIFA World Playerof the Year and the 1997 Ballon d'Or, due to his performancesthroughout the calendar year.

Del Piero began the following campaign strongly by winning theSupercoppa Italiana. The 1997–98 campaign would be his bestseason, as he scored 21 goals in Serie A and finished topscorer in the Champions League with 10 goals,[28] one of whichincluded a freekick and a hat-trick against AS Monaco in thesemi-finals.[29] With these goals, he helped Juventus to reachtheir third consecutive Champions League final, although DelPiero was not fully fit for the final,[30] and Juventus wereonce again defeated, falling 1–0 to Real Madrid from a strike

by Predrag Mijatović on 20 May.[31] Domestic success, however,was achieved that season, as Juventus celebrated its 25thSerie A title.[32] Del Piero also managed a goal in the CoppaItalia that season, helping Juventus to the semi-finals, andfinishing the season with 32 goals in all competitions. DelPiero was awarded the Italian Footballer of the Year Award forhis performances, and he was also nominated for the 1998Ballon d'Or.

Injury and Ancelotti Era

Juventus began the 1998-99 season with a defeat in the 1998Supercoppa Italiana at the hands of Lazio. In November 1998,Del Piero picked up a serious knee injury in the 2–2 draw withUdinese.[33] This kept him out of action for the remainder ofthe season, managing only 2 goals, and the club struggledwithout him, limping home to a lowly sixth place finish in theleague.[34] Juventus did managed to reach the semi-finals of theUEFA Champions League that season, losing out to eventualChampions Manchester United. During this time, he wasnicknamed by the fans as "Il Fenomeno Vero"[35] meaning "TheReal Phenomenon", in comparison with Ronaldo, who wasnicknamed "Il Fenomeno" by supporters of rivals Internazionale.

During the next season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, DelPiero would primarily serve as an assist-man, providing 14assists in Serie A, the most in the league that season, and 20in all competitions.[36] He would face criticism, however, forhis inability to score in open play following his injury theprevious season, as only one of his 9 Serie A goals thatseason was in open play (a header against Parma), with therest coming from penalties.[37] Del Piero helped Juventus tocapture the UEFA Intertoto Cup that season, qualifyingJuventus for the UEFA Cup that season, and scoring 12 goals inall competitions. Juventus narrowly missed out on the Serie Atitle, losing to Perugia on the final match day, which allowedLazio to capture the Scudetto by a single point.

The following season would see Juventus suffer anotherdisappointing defeat, finishing in second place for the secondconsecutive season, and losing out on the Serie A title toRoma. Juventus and Del Piero would begin the season strongly,and Del Piero would score a notable trademark winner on hisseason debut against Napoli on 30 September,[38] although hewould later suffer another injury and fall out of form,failing to score. On 18 February 2001, Del Piero broke his

goal-scoring drought with a notable trademark goal in an awaywin over Bari. Del Piero celebrated the goal, dedicating it tohis father, who had recently passed away.[39] Del Piero refoundhis form and his confidence towards the end of the season,although he was unable to help Juventus capture the Serie Atitle, despite scoring a goal in a 2-2 draw against rivalsRoma.[40]

Lippi second era

Del Piero was named Juventus captain upon Lippi's return toJuventus, and he formed a formidable offensive partnershipwith French striker David Trezeguet, who joined in 2000, andCzech playmaker Pavel Nedvěd in 2001. Del Piero scored 16goals and provided several assists, as Juventus were crownedSerie A champions for a 26th time on 5 May 2002, winning thetitle on the last match-day over Roma and Inter by a singlepoint.[41] Del Piero managed 21 goals in all competitions, alsoscoring his 100th goal for Juventus that season. Del Pieroalso helped Juventus reach the Coppa Italia final that season,although Juventus were defeated by Parma.

This success meant that Juventus automatically qualified forthe next year's Champions League. Juventus began the season bywinning the Supercoppa Italiana over Parma, with Del Pieroscoring two goals, and Juventus were also able to defend theirSerie A title. In the UEFA Champions League, Juventus werepooled in Group E alongside Newcastle United, Dynamo Kyiv, andformer champions Feyenoord.[42] Del Piero opened up his accountin European competition that season when he scored his side'ssecond goal after lovely build up play by Nedvěd and MauroCamoranesi set him free in their 5–0 defeat of Dynamo Kyiv on24 September.[43]

On the next matchday, Juventus played hosted to Newcastle on 1October and Del Piero hit a brace to help the Old Lady maintaintop spot in their group.[44] Juventus progressed to the secondgroup stage where the club managed to progress along withManchester United on goal differential over FC Basel andDeportivo de La Coruña.[45] Juventus then saw off FC Barcelonain the quarter-finals through an extra time goal by MarceloZalayeta,[46] and faced Spanish opposition again in the likes ofReal Madrid in the semi-finals. The triumvirate attackingpartnership proved wonders for Juventus, as the teamoverturned a 2–1 first leg deficit to record a 4–3 aggregatewin as all three attacking stars netted in the second leg.[47]

Juventus faced Italian rivals Milan in the Final in Manchesteron 28 May 2003. After a goalless 120 minutes, the tie went toa penalty shoot-out, where Del Piero finished his spot-kickbut it wasn't enough, as Juventus fell 3–2 in the shoot-out.[48]

The following season saw Juventus start strongly, winning theSupercoppa Italiana over Milan, although Juventus were knockedout in the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, andfinished the Serie A season in a disappointing third place,although they managed to reach the final of the Coppa Italia,where they were defeated by Lazio. Lippi left Juventus at theend of the season to take charge of the Italian national team.

Capello era

After UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, Juve manager Marcello Lippiwas replaced by Fabio Capello. Capello was not convinced ofDel Piero's abilities and frequently benched him in favour ofnew signing Zlatan Ibrahimović, much to the disappointment ofmany fans. But Del Piero still managed to score 14 goals asJuventus won their 28th league title, thanks to his overheadassist to teammate David Trezeguet, which proved decisive in amatch against Milan at the San Siro.[49]

Journalists and coaches agreed that Del Piero was back to hisbest in the 2005–06 season, having scored 12 goals in Serie A,and 20 goals in all competitions, helping Juventus to defendtheir Serie A title. His role at Juventus, however, changed inthe following season, as coach Fabio Capello preferred to usehim as a substitute for an "immediate impact," as Capello putit.[21] Del Piero never had a calm relation with Fabio Capello.

In 2006, Del Piero equalled José Altafini's Serie A record ofsix goals as a substitute after scoring in the final minute ofJuventus' final game of the 2005–06 season. On 10 January2006, Del Piero became the all time leading goalscorer forJuventus when he scored three times in a Coppa Italia matchagainst Fiorentina and took his total goals for the club to185. The previous record holder was Giampiero Boniperti, whoscored 182 goals for the club. Del Piero also finished theseason as the top scorer of the Coppa Italia, with 5 goals.Del Piero scored the last goal for Juventus in the 2005–06season before Juve were forcibly relegated due to the infamousCalciopoli scandal, also having their two most recent Serie Atitles revoked.

Serie B

After Juventus were demoted to Serie B and their last twoScudetti were revoked, Del Piero pledged that he would stay tocaptain the team in Serie B. He underlined that players shouldstick with the team, explaining that "The Agnelli familydeserve this, as do the fans and the new directors." Whilemany key players such as Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson, GianlucaZambrotta, Patrick Vieira, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and LilianThuram left Turin, Del Piero chose to stay and help the clubgain promotion.

Del Piero playing for Juventus in September 2006 againstRimini during the 2006–07 Serie B season.

Del Piero's first appearance after the 2006 FIFA World Cuptriumph was in a Coppa Italia match against Cesena on 23August 2006. Since Juventus played in the Serie B for the2006–07 season, the Coppa Italia campaign became increasinglyimportant for the club in order to achieve a UEFA Cup spot.Having been on vacation beforehand, Del Piero started on thebench. Juventus and Cesena were locked on 1–1 when Del Pieroentered in the 74th minute and after nine seconds, he scoredthe winning goal for Juventus.[51]

Del Piero then came in as a substitute at the 61st minute forJuve's next Coppa Italia match on 27 August against Napoli.Again Juventus were behind, but Del Piero scored twice to giveJuve the lead. In the end, the match went to penalties. DelPiero scored but Napoli eventually won 5–4 in the penaltyshoot-out.[52] Although Juventus started off with a nine-pointpenalty from the match-fixing scandal,[53] the Old Lady gainedpromotion to Serie A as league champions.[54] Del Piero finishedthe league campaign with 20 goals as he finished as the topscorer of the 2006-07 Serie B season, helping Juventus to win

the title and re-gain promotion to Serie A the followingseason.[55]

Return to Serie A

Following this, Del Piero was locked in months of fractiousnegotiations over the signing of a new contract with Juventus'new management. After successfully negotiating a new contracttill 30 June 2010, he was greeted with news of the birth ofhis first child, Tobias Del Piero. This was quite a staggeringturnaround in his fortunes, as only two weeks earlier, he wasdropped by Claudio Ranieri for the Serie A match withFiorentina and was then axed from Roberto Donadoni's Italysquad for the games with Georgia and South Africa.

Del Piero during the 2007–08 season against Fiorentina.

In February 2008, he scored the winning goal for Juventus in aSerie A victory at home to Roma, which finished 1–0. He scoredtwo goals away at Lazio and was named to two consecutive SerieA teams of the week. On 6 April 2008, he set a new appearancerecord for Juventus, overtaking Gaetano Scirea's previoustally of 552 matches in all competitions. In April, heregistered seven goals in five Serie A matches, including ahat-trick in a 0–4 away win over Atalanta.[57]

On the final weekend of the 2007–08 season, Del Piero scored abrace against Sampdoria in a 3–3 draw.[58] These two goals werecrucial, as it took him to 21 goals for the season, thuswinning him the Capocannonieri prize in Serie A for the firsttime in his illustrious career, beating the likes of DavidTrezeguet (20 goals) and Marco Borriello (19 goals) andmatching his highest tally for a top-flight season since 1997–98.[59] He became only the second Italian ever to win

consecutive Capocannoniere titles in two different leagues –former Juventus and 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi being theother. (Coincidentally, Rossi also won the Capocannoniere titleslike Del Piero – first in Serie B and then in Serie A). On 26July, Del Piero was awarded the Scirea Award. Juventusfinished the 2007-08 Serie A season in third place, allowingthem to participate in the UEFA Champions League the followingseason.

Before the season, Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri remarkedthat Del Piero would have as good a season, or an even betterone, than the previous term. In August 2008, Del Pieroannounced that he would try to keep playing professionalfootball with Juventus until he is 40 years old.[60] WithJuventus back in the Champions League, they were drawn intothe same group as nine-time winners Real Madrid and UEFA Cupwinners Zenit Saint Petersburg. Del Piero marked Juve's returnwith a brilliant match-winning free kick to seal a home winagainst Zenit.[61] On 21 October, he scored a wonderful first-time strike from distance as Juve defeated Real Madrid 2–1 athome in Turin.[62] In the fifth minute, from open play, DelPiero swerved the ball into the far corner of the goal with afreekick-like shot, giving Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas nochance.[63]

Del Piero before a match in April 2012.

On 5 November 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off atSantiago Bernabéu in the Champions League. The Italians won 0–2, their first away win against Madrid since 1962, and DelPiero was a key performer, scoring both the goals and beingpraised by both Claudio Ranieri and Madrid coach Bernd

Schuster.[64] As he left the pitch after being substituted,"fans from both sides gave him a standing ovation."[65]

Juventus' 2009 Champions League campaign ended indisappointment, however, as they were eliminated by Chelsea inthe second round. Despite converting a penalty in the secondleg in Turin, Del Piero was unable to prevent Juventus fromlosing 3–2 on aggregate.[66]

In the league, Juventus were mostly challenging Milan forsecond place and an automatic Champions League place. Mostnotably, Del Piero inspired Juventus to a 3–0 win over Sienain their penultimate game of the season, scoring a brace andsetting up Claudio Marchisio for the youngster's third goal ofthe season to end their run of seven winless matches in SerieA.[67] Juventus then went on to defeat Lazio 2–0 and pip Milanto second place in Serie A, determined by their head-to-headrecord.[68]

On 17 July 2009, Del Piero extended his contract with Juventusby one more year until 30 June 2011 in Pinzolo while trainingfor pre-season, thus practically ensuring that he would retireat the club with which he started his professional career.[69]

During his renewal, he said, "I am happy at Juventus and weare competitive. I want to keep playing for as long as I canand I'm certain that for at least two more years I will be atthe top level." He marked his 445th Serie A appearance,breaking the all-time club record, with a brace against Genoaon 14 February 2010. He is also currently the all-time topscorer for Juventus, having scored more than 250 goals in allcompetitions. He has also made over 600 appearances inofficial matches for the club, breaking the record of GaetanoScirea, who had 552 appearances for Juventus.[70][71]

On 14 March 2010, Del Piero recorded his 300th and 301stcareer goal during a 3–3 draw with Siena with the first twogoals at the second and seventh minute.[72] On 30 October 2010,he recorded his 179th Serie A goal, helping his side to a 2–1win at Milan, breaking the record of club legend GiampieroBoniperti as Juventus' top scorer in Serie A and furthercementing his status as the most prolific goalscorer inJuventus history.[73]

Champion again

On 5 February 2011, with his substitution against Cagliari,Alessandro Del Piero became the most capped Juventus player,

edging out former Juventus legend Giampiero Boniperti.[74] DelPiero remains the third most capped player in the Serie A,behind Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti, respectively. On 5May 2011, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at theJuventus Arena. His previous deal was due to expire on 30 June2011.[75]

A commemorative shirt, celebrating Del Piero's 500th Juventusappearance.

On 24 May 2011, Del Piero and Juventus played againstManchester United at Old Trafford in a friendly match beingformer England defender Gary Neville's testimonial match. DelPiero was substituted after 65 minutes to a standing ovationfrom the United supporters. Juventus confirmed on 18 October2011 that the 2011–12 season would be Del Piero's last withthe club.[76] The 2011–12 season under new manager AntonioConte, his former teammate at Juve, saw Del Piero being usedsparingly because of the summer arrival of forward MirkoVučinić from Roma. He scored his first goal in the newJuventus Stadium on 24 January 2012 in the 3–0 win over Romain the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.[77] Later in theseason, Del Piero stated that he was surprised at Juventuspresident Andrea Agnelli's announcement regarding the club'sdecision to not offer the striker a new contract.[78]

In the second leg of Juventus's clash with Milan in the CoppaItalia semi-finals, Del Piero finished off a brilliant move byJuventus as they secured a 2–2 draw on the night andprogressed to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win.[79] On 25March, Del Piero helped Juventus defeat Internazionale byscoring the second goal in a 2–0 victory, his first goal ofthe Serie A season.[80] In Juventus' match against Lazio on 11April, Del Piero replaced Mirko Vučinić in the second half,making his 700th appearance for the Old Lady,[81] and then went

on to score a fantastic free kick to earn his side a 2–1victory and return the Old Lady to the top of the Serie Atable.[82]

On 13 May, Del Piero started Juventus's final league game ofthe season against Atalanta, marking the occasion and thevictory of their 28th Serie A title by scoring a goal.[83]

Twenty-seven minutes into the match, del Piero picked the ballup on the edge of the penalty box and placed a shot pastGiorgio Frezzolini to make the score 2–0 and help Juventusclinch an undefeated Serie A season.[84] He would be substitutedoff after 59 minutes to an emotional response from both setsof players and supporters. This would be Alessandro DelPiero's final Serie A appearance for Juventus.[85][86]

Del Piero's final match for the Bianconeri was in the CoppaItalia Final on 20 May against Napoli. Del Piero was subbedoff in the 67th minute for Mirko Vučinić as his Juventuscareer came to an end. He received a standing ovation fromboth the Juventus and Napoli fans.[87][88] Following the game, heconfirmed that after his 19-year spell with Juventus, he didnot plan to retire. He then left the club and became a freeagent.

He refused the board's offer to retire the number 10 shirt inhis honour, saying that "I've really had so much that I wouldnever want it to be retired, this way, every child can dreamof day of wearing it."[89] On 30 June, Del Piero wrote an openletter to the Juventus fans thanking them for almost twodecades of support, stating, "Above all what remains is thefans, you who are Juventus. That jersey that I loved and willalways love, that I desired and respected ... From tomorrow Iwill no longer be a Juventus player, but I will always be oneof you. Now a new adventure begins and I am as fired up as Iwas 19 summers ago."

Sydney FC

Del Piero playing for Sydney in 2013.

Del Piero taking a corner kick for Sydney in 2013.

Del Piero in 2013.

On 5 September 2012, Alessandro Del Piero signed a two-yeardeal with Sydney FC. He was paid approximately AU$3.5 millionfor each of his first two seasons, and therefore became thehighest-paid footballer to ever play in Australia.[91] Del Pierohad been linked to Liverpool prior to signing for Sydney, butlater revealed due to his memories of Heysel he would not havebeen able to move to the club.[92]

Upon signing for Sydney FC, Del Piero said, "It's a specialday for me. I am happy to announce that I just signed for twoyears for Sydney FC. This is a very big moment for me becauseI want to continue my career in a new part of the world whereI can make a major contribution and help grow the game Ilove."[93] After the announcement of the transfer to Sydney FC,Juventus wished good luck to their former captain.[94] FrancescoTotti and Filippo Inzaghi said they were saddened by hisdeparture.[95][96]

Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow said, "The signing ofAlessandro Del Piero is a big moment for this club and, webelieve, a historic moment for football in Australia, Iwouldn't like to go into the details of the contract,but thisdoes represent the largest professional sporting contract inAustralian history and the numbers that have been discussedaren't too far off the mark."[97]

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said that this signing will becrucial for the growth of Australian Football, botheconomically and technically.[97] Ian Crook, manager of SydneyFC, said he would build the forward set-up around the Italian,who would be given "licence" to pull the strings. "We're notgoing to reinvent the wheel here. He's played 19 years for oneof the biggest four or five clubs in the world, as a No. 10 ora No. 9. We're not going to change that."[98] FIFA PresidentSepp Blatter sent his best wishes to Del Piero and his newclub.[99]

On 6 October, Del Piero made his debut against WellingtonPhoenix. Del Piero scored his first goal on 13 October againstNewcastle Jets in his first home game for Sydney with afantastic free-kick.[100] The match against Newcastle featuredhero-cam, which allowed the viewer to track Del Piero'smovements with one camera throughout the game.[101] On 20October, Del Piero scored the winning goal against WesternSydney Wanderers FC (1–0), making history with the first goalin the first Sydney Derby.[102] On 28 October, against PerthGlory (2–1), he scored his third goal from a penalty kick.[103]

On 16 November, he scored two goals against Brisbane Roar.[104]

On 13 January, he made the assist for the winning goal againstMelbourne Heart (2–1). On 19 January, he scored four goals andmade one assist in Sydney's 7–1 win against WellingtonPhoenix. This was the first time he scored more than threegoals in one game and after being substituted, the fans gave

him a standing ovation.[105] On 2 February, Del Piero scored his10th goal in A-League against Newcastle Jets (2–2). On 10February, became the scorer of the most goals in a season forthe Sky Blues, scoring one goal against Brisbane Roar (2–1).[106] On 21 February, Del Piero renewed his contract until 2014.[107] On 2 March, he scored his 12th goal with a stunning 25-yard thunderbolt.[108] On 23 March, Del Piero scored the goal ina 1–1 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers, in the SydneyDerby. On 28 March, he scored a penalty kick against BrisbaneRoar (1–3).

Del Piero was named captain for Sydney in their 2013–14season.[109] On 11 October 2013, Del Piero scored the openinggoal of the 2013–14 A-League season, the game-winner in a 2–0victory over Newcastle Jets.[110] Alessandro went on to score 10more goals for Sydney FC in the following season, before beingreleased of his contract at Sydney FC. Alessandro had beenrumored to play in the Thai Premier League for PTT Rayong & inthe Chinese Super League with Marcelo Lippi's GuangzhouEvergrande. His final competitive match was against theMelbourne Victory who had coincidentally just defeated theAsian champions Guangzhou Evergrande in the AFC ChampionsLeague. His farewell was at Etihad Stadium losing in anElimination final due to Gui Finkler's injury time winner in a2-1 loss.

On Sunday 10 August 2014, Del Piero captained the Hyundai A-League All Stars against his club of almost 20 years,Juventus, in Sydney, in front of over 55,000 people at ANZStadium. Del Piero was substituted off at the 63rd minute ofthe match for David Williams, to a standing ovation.[111]

International career

Del Piero with Francesco Totti.

Del Piero is currently Italy's joint fourth all-time leadingscorer, along with Roberto Baggio, with 27 goals in 91appearances, with 2 goals for Italy coming in 12 World Cupmatches and 1 goal in 13 European Championship matches. DelPiero initially played for the Italian U-21 side on 12occasions, scoring 3 goals, and was a member of the team thatwon the 1996 European Under-21 Championship, appearing in thequarter-finals. Del Piero made his senior debut under ArrigoSacchi at the age of 20, on the 25th March 1995, in a 4-1 winover Estonia in a Euro 1996 Qualifying match. Del Piero scoredhis first goal for Italy on the 15th November 1995, in a 4-0win over Lithuania in a Euro 1996 Qualifying match. Histournament debut was at UEFA Euro 1996, where he made his onlyappearance in the first half of a group match win againstRussia as winger, wearing the number 14 shirt, before beingsubstituted at half-time by Roberto Donadoni.[116]

The next year, Del Piero was part of the Italy team that tookpart in the friendly "Tournoi de France" tournament from the3rd to the 11th June 1997 under Cesare Maldini. Del Pierosored two goals in a 3-3 draw against Brazil, and scored froma penalty against France in the 90th minute, finishing thetournament as top-scorer with 3 goals, although Italy finishedin last place.

Del Piero competed with fan favourite Roberto Baggio for aspot in the starting 11 during the World Cup, while strugglingto recover from injury suffered during the 1998 ChampionsLeague final with Juventus. Del Piero missed out on Italy's 2-2 opening draw against Chile due to injury, and wastemporarily replaced by Roberto Baggio. He made his firstWorld Cup appearance in the second match of the group stage, a3–0 defeat of Cameroon, coming on for Roberto Baggio in thesecond half, wearing the number 10 shirt.[117] In the finalgroup game against Austria, Del Piero won his first start asItaly won 2–1 to seal a passage into the next round, avoidingreigning champions Brazil, setting up Christian Vieri'sopening goal of the match; he was substituted by Baggio in thesecond half.[118] Italy reached the quarter-finals afterdefeating Norway 1–0. Italy eventually fell to hosts andeventual champions France on penalty kicks, following a 0-0draw; Del Piero was criticised for his performance and wassubstituted in the second half by Roberto Baggio once again.[119]

He was part of Dino Zoff's Italy's squad that made it to thefinal of the European Championships in 2000. Although he wasprimarily used as a substitute for either Francesco Totti orStefano Fiore, Del Piero wore the number 10 shirt. On the 11thJune, Del Piero came on as a substitute for Fiore in Italy'sopening Group B 2-1 win against Turkey, hitting the cross-barfrom a free-kick.[120] In the final group game, Del Pierostarted the match and scored the winner with a notablle goalagainst Sweden, taking it past two players before curling theball into the top corner from outside the area. Del Piero hasalso set up Di Biagio's opener from a corner, allowing Italyto progress to the quarter-finals with a 100% record, andeliminating their opposition.[121] In the final itself, hemissed two gilt-edged chances in Italy's 2–1 loss to France inextra time, and was heavily criticised by the Italian press.[122]

He returned to the international scene in the 2002 World Cupunder Giovanni Trapattoni, after a season in Serie A in whichJuventus won the Scudetto.[123] Del Piero scored the decisive goalagainst Hungary, which sealed the Azzurri's qualification for thefinals.[124] Del Piero appeared as a substitute in Italy'sopening win against Ecuador, wearing the captain's armband forpart of the match. He instantly scored with a header againstMexico after coming on as a substitute, a goal which savedItaly from the ignominy of a first round exit in their finalgroup match. The goal sent Italy through to the second round,where they were eliminated by a golden goal in a controversialmatch against South Korea.[125][126]

Del Piero took part in 6 of Italy's 2004 European Qualifyingmatches, scoring 5 goals, and was called up for the Italysquad that would participate in UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal.Del Piero started all three matches, wearing the captain'sarmband in Italy's final win over Bulgaria, although Italywere eliminated in the first round on direct encounters,following a three-way five point tie with Sweden and Denmark.

Del Piero after the semi-final against Germany.

Del Piero began the 2006 World Cup, appearing in two out ofthree group stage matches, and made his first start of thecompetition in a 1–0 round of 16 win over Australia on 26June. On 4 July, Del Piero entered as a substitute near theend of regulation and scored Italy's second goal in a 2–0semi-final win over host Germany.[127] In the final againstFrance, which ended 1–1 after extra time, Del Piero scored apenalty in the shootout as Italy won the tournament for thefourth time. He admitted afterwards that winning the World Cupwas his childhood dream.[128]

As of 2008, Del Piero has captained Italy seven times(including during UEFA Euro 2008). He also regularly wore theNo. 10 shirt, but later gave it to Francesco Totti andswitched to No. 7, as it was the first number he wore at thestart of his career. Even though the No. 10 shirt was vacatedafter Totti retired from the national team in July 2007, DelPiero denied any interest in taking back the number, saying hewas satisfied with No. 7. In May, he was recalled by populardemand to Italy's UEFA Euro 2008 squad after a nine-monthabsence from international duty, and thus became the secondItalian player, after Paolo Maldini, to participate in sevenmajor international tournaments (Euro 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008;World Cup 1998, 2002, 2006).

Del Piero was called up to Italy's squad for the Euro 2008championship in Austria and Switzerland. He was mostly on thesubstitutes' bench but started against Romania as the squad'scaptain. In the group match against the Dutch, he came on forthe under-performing Antonio Di Natale and made an immediateimpact, including several efforts on goal. He could notprevent the Azzurri, however, from a 3–0 loss. Italy qualifiedthrough the group stage in second-place behind theNetherlands, eliminating Romania and France. In the quarter-final against eventual champions Spain, Del Piero made asubstitute appearance during extra-time, and with the gameending in a 0–0 draw, it was decided by a penalty shootout inwhich Spain won 4–2.[129] On 20 August 2008, he won his 90th capfor Italy in friendly against Austria, only the fifth Azzurriplayer to reach this landmark. Despite announcing that he willcarry on playing until he is 40 years old, he has not beencalled up since Italy's 2010 World Cup qualifier againstGeorgia on 10 September 2008.

In 2013, Italy national coach Cesare Prandelli stated that hewould consider calling Del Piero up for the 2014 World Cup.[130]

Style of play

Del Piero with Juventus in 2008.

Due to his creative style of play, eye for goal, ability atone-twos, and technical skill, Del Piero is known as a"fantasista" in Italy.[132] His hard-working playing style isregarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting manygoals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goalpoaching".[17] Because of his characteristics, Del Piero usuallyplays as a supporting-striker, which is his preferred role,[133]

although he is capable of playing anywhere along the frontline. He has also occasionally been deployed between themidfield and the strikers as a playmaking attackingmidfielder, known in Italy as the trequartista position, due tohis vision, passing range, ball control, dribbling ability (inparticular in one on one situations) and creativity, althoughhe has stated that this is not his preferred position.[134][135]

In his youth, under Marcello Lippi's reign as Juventus coach,Del Piero played in the "trident-attack" formation along withveterans Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli, as a strikeror as an outside forward, due to his pace, technique, balance,and eye for goal. After losing some pace and agility followinghis injury in 1998, Del Piero performed a muscle strengtheningregime, and he took on a more creative role in a combinationwith Zinedine Zidane behind the main striker Filippo Inzaghi.[136] As Juventus's playing style changed in Lippi's secondstint with Juventus starting in 2001, Del Piero partnered withZidane's replacement, Pavel Nedvěd, in front of the midfield,or on the left flank as a supporting striker, with DavidTrezeguet upfront.[137][138] He has also been employed

occasionally as a winger for Italy while playing under ArrigoSacchi, due to his crossing ability with both feet.

Del Piero is a set piece, free kick and penalty kick (62 goalswith penalties) specialist: he's the Italian free kicks all-time top scorer (49 goals: 43 goals in clubs, 6 goals in Italynational team).[134][139]

After scoring a goal, Del Piero often celebrates by running tothe touchline in front of the Juventus fans and sticking histongue out; he has also performed a back-flip goalcelebration, or pointed up at the sky, dedicating the goal tohis late father.[140]

Del Piero Zone

The football media refer to a "Del Piero Zone" ("Gol alla DelPiero" in Italian language), a style of scoring involvingapproaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob intothe far top corner of the goal, from outside the area.[141][142]

The "Del Piero Zone" has been used to describe the goals ofother players who scored in this way.

Outside footballPersonal life

Del Piero and his wife Sonia at the 2013 ARIA Music Awards inSydney, Australia.

Del Piero is married to Sonia Amoruso and the two have beentogether since 1999 and married in 2005.[143] They have threechildren, son Tobias (born 2007),[144][145] daughter Dorotea (born2009)[146] and son Sasha (born 2010).[147]

When the Olympic Flame for the 2006 Winter Olympics passedthrough Turin, Del Piero was a torchbearer.[148] He has aninterest in sports outside of football, particularlybasketball, and in turn has gained fans outside of football;sport icons such as NBA star Steve Nash and cyclist EddyMerckx have stated that they are fans of Del Piero.[149][150]

Del Piero has a keen interest in music. He has recorded someof his own albums.[151] Along with Marco Materazzi, Del Pieroappeared on stage at a Rolling Stones show in Milan shortlyafter Italy's World Cup win.[152] He is a good friend ofmusician and singer Noel Gallagher and a fan of his formerband Oasis. Del Piero appears in the Oasis video "Lord Don'tSlow Me Down".[153] One of Del Piero's inspirations as ayoungster was Japanese football manga Captain Tsubasa.[154]

In 2012, he participated in the project "Save the dream"(against corruption in the sport) and spoke about this atSorbonne, during the "Sport Integrity Symposium".[155][156]

Charity work

Del Piero has promoted and supported a number of charities. In1998 he donated 5.2 million lire to "Fondazione Bambini inEmergenza" (for abandoned children and victims of AIDS) byauctioning his Juventus shirt. [157]

In 2001, he was ambassador for "Un gol per la ricerca" (forthe cancer research).[158] In 2006, he was AIRC testimonial forthe cancer research and in recognition of this, he hasreceived from the President of Italy a prize of "Believe inResearch".[159]

In 2008, he participated in a golf tournament organized by thefoundation of Gianluca Vialli and Massimo Mauro forAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis research.[160] In 2009, he playeda friendly match at Stadio Olimpico with his team "Ale 10+";the proceeds (€180,000) were donated to solidarity projects.[161]

In 2010, he auctioned off his Juventus shirt number 10 for thefoundation "Un Campo per L'Aquila".[162] On 1 April 2011, helaunched the project "ale10friendsforjapan" which he designedto help Japanese earthquake victims creating a website to sellt-shirts and collecting $303,880.[163]

In 2011, he participated in a golf tournament, "FondazioneSant'Anna Cup – Crescere insieme", for the neonatal intensivecare unit of the hospital Sant'Anna.[164] On 21 July 2012, heplayed a friendly match at Kashima Stadium organized by J.League (Del Piero scored one goal and he left the field with astanding ovation); the collection was donated to the Japaneseearthquake victims of 2011.[165]

He was testimonial of ADISCO, for the donation of umbilicalcord blood,[166][167] and testimonial of 1GOAL for the educationof poor children.[167]

TV, games, and publicity

Del Piero during the presentation of FIFA 2004.

Del Piero has been used in many advertising broadcasts. He isunder contract with German sports equipment manufacturerAdidas, Uliveto water, Fiat, Japanese motorbike companySuzuki, Pepsi,[168] Bliss, Cepu, Walt Disney and Upper Deck.[169]

In 2006, he appeared in a television commercial for theJapanese motor scooter Suzuki Burgman together with the sportsagent Andreas Goller.[170]

Del Piero is also known for his sense of humour and is apopular guest at Italian comedy shows such as Paperissima andStriscia la notizia. He featured in the film "L'allenatore nelpallone 2" and in the show La sai l'ultima di Totti, a series of shortcomedy sketches created by his good friend and Roma captainFrancesco Totti in which the two of them and nationalteammates former A.C. Milan defender Alessandro Nesta,

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and striker AntonioCassano would tell jokes and anecdotes about one another.

Del Piero was featured on the cover of EA Sports FIFA Football 2004video game, alongside Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho,[171] and FIFAWorld Cup 2006 video game. He was one of the two stars featuredon the cover of the Italian version of PES 2010 video game, theother being FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi.[172]

Records

Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer (290 goals: 186 goals inopen play, 62 goals from penalties, 42 goals from free-kicks)[173][174]

Juventus All-Time decisive goals holder (135)[175]

Juventus All-Time minutes played holder (48,363)[176]

1st place in the ranking of players who played forSydney, who scored the most goals in one season (14)[106]

1st place in the ranking of players, who played in SerieA, who scored the most free kicks for their clubs (43goals, with Siniša Mihajlović)[174]

The only Italian player who scored more than 10 goals inmore seasons (16 seasons)[177]

HonoursJuventus

8 Serie A: 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03,2004–05[nb 1], 2005–06 [nb 1], 2011–12; Runner-up (5): 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999–00, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2008–09

1 Serie B: 2006–07 1 Coppa Italia: 1994–95; Runner-up(3): 2001–02, 2003–04,

2011–12 4 Supercoppa Italiana: 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003; Runner-

up(2): 1998, 2005 1 UEFA Champions League: 1995–96; Runner-up(3): 1996–97,

1997–98, 2002–03 UEFA Cup Runner-up(1): 1994–95 1 UEFA Super Cup: 1996 1 UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999 1 Intercontinental Cup: 1996 1 Torneo di Viareggio: 1994 1 Campionato Nazionale Primavera: 1993–94

Italy

1 FIFA World Cup: 2006 UEFA European Championship Runner-up(1): 2000

Individual

ESM Team of the Year: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 Most Valuable Player Intercontinental Cup: 1996 European Footballer of the Year Under-21: 1996 FIFA 100 UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: Top 50 1954–2004, Top 250 1994–

2003 Giuseppe Prisco National Award: 2006 USSI Prize-Italian sportsman of the year: 2006[178]

Special Prize Gentleman Silver Cup: 2006 San Siro Gentleman Award Serie A: 2006 Golden Foot to career: 2007 Telegatto-Best Sportsman: 2007 Scirea Award to career: 2008 USSI Silver Ball: 2008 International Award for Sport and Civility-Ambassador of

Sports: 2009 Sportsman of the Year Golden Award: 2010 Globe Soccer Award: 2011 Novara Fair Play Award: 2011[179]

Oscar AIC-Italian Footballer ot the Year: 1998, 2008 Oscar AIC-Top scorer: 2008 Oscar AIC-Serie A Fan Award: 2001, 2008 Oscar AIC-Award to Career: 2011 UEFA Champions League Top scorer: 1995–96 (6 goals),

1997–98 (10 goals) Tournoi de France-Top scorer: 1997 (3 goals) Coppa Italia-Top scorer: 2005–06 (5 goals) Serie B-Top scorer: 2006–07 (20 goals) Serie A-Top scorer: 2007–08 (21 goals) Sydney FC Player of the Year Award: 2013[180]

Sydney FC Golden Boot: 2013[180]

Sydney FC Members Award: 2013[181]

PFA Team of the Season: 2013[182]

A-League goal of the season: 2012–2013[183]