Alessandro Del Piero

italian football player
“ Del Piero ” redirects here. For the italian brazilian football player, see Yago Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero [ 3 ] [ 4 ] ( italian pronunciation : [ alesˈsandro del ˈpjeːro ] ; born 9 November 1974 ) is an italian early professional football player who chiefly played as a deep-lying forward, although he was able of playing in respective nauseating positions. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Since 2015, he has worked as a initiate for Sky Sport Italia. [ 9 ] A technically gifted [ 10 ] and creative supporting ahead [ 11 ] [ 12 ] who was besides a free-kick specialist, [ 13 ] [ 14 ] Del Piero is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation [ 15 ] [ 16 ] and as one of the best italian players of all time. [ 17 ] [ 18 ] He won the Serie A italian Footballer of the Year prize in 1998 and 2008 and received multiple nominations for the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.

Reading: Alessandro Del Piero

A prolific goal-scorer, he is presently the second highest all-time italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals, behind merely Silvio Piola, with 390 goals ; he is besides the joint one-ninth highest goalscorer in Serie A history, with 188 goals, aboard Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ] [ 24 ] After beginning his career with italian club Padova in Serie B in 1991, he moved to Juventus in 1993, where he played for 19 seasons ( 11 as captain ), and holds the golf club records for most goals ( 290 ) and appearances ( 705 ). During his time at the clubhouse, he won six Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. After leaving the clubhouse in 2012, he besides spent two seasons with australian side Sydney FC ; he retired in 2014, after a season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the indian Super League. Del Piero has scored in every competition in which he has participated. [ 25 ] In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a number of the 125 greatest life footballers selected by Pelé as a separate of FIFA ‘s centennial celebrations. [ 26 ] In the same year, he was besides voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, a list of the 50 best european players of the past 50 years. [ 27 ] Along with six awards in Italy for gentlemanlike demeanor, [ 28 ] [ 29 ] he has besides won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality a well as playing ability. At international grade, Del Piero has besides represented the italian home team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA european Football Championships, most notably winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and reaching the final examination of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He is the joint fourth highest scorekeeper for the italian national team, with 27 goals, aboard Roberto Baggio, and behind only Silvio Piola with 30 goals, Giuseppe Meazza with 33 goals, and Luigi Riva with 35 goals ; with 91 appearances for Italy between 1995 and 2008, he is besides his nation ‘s eleventh-most capped musician of all-time. In his career Del Piero scored 462 goals. [ 30 ]

early life sentence [edit ]

Del Piero was born in Conegliano, Veneto, the son of Gino, an electrician, and Bruna, a housekeeper. [ 31 ] He regularly played football in the backyard with two friends, Nelso and Pierpaolo, as a child. All three dreamed of becoming footballers but only Del Piero would finally manage to do therefore. [ 32 ] His older brother, Stefano, concisely played master football for Sampdoria before an injury curtailed his career ; he by and by worked as his younger brother ‘s agent. [ 33 ] The family lived in the hamlet of Saccon, a rural home in San Vendemiano. [ 34 ] While growing up, Del Piero ‘s family did not have much money for travelling afield, so he considered being a lorry driver in order to see the world. [ 35 ] While playing for the local youth team of San Vendemiano, [ 36 ] Del Piero used to feature as a goalkeeper in decree to gain more play time. His mother thought it would be better for him to play in this role, as he would not sweat, and the possibility of him getting injured was less likely. His buddy Stefano commented to their beget that, due to his skill, the younger Del Piero was more suited to playing in a more offensive position, and he switched to a fore function. [ 34 ]

Club career [edit ]

1991–1993 : early career and introduction with Padova [edit ]

Del Piero began his upgrade to professional football in 1981, in the ranks of San Vendemiano. In 1988, Del Piero was first spotted by scouts, and he left home at the young age of 13 to play with the youth side of Padova. [ 37 ] He joined the elder side during the 1991–92 temper, at the age of 16, and at the old age of 17, he made his introduction in Serie B against Messina, under director Mauro Sandreani, on 15 March 1992, coming on as a utility for Roberto Putelli. [ 38 ] The keep up season, on 22 November 1992, he scored his inaugural master goal in a 5–0 victory over Ternana. [ 39 ] In 1993, thanks to Giampiero Boniperti, Del Piero was bought by Juventus for five billion lira, with an overlap of 150 million lire per temper. [ 40 ]

Juventus [edit ]

1993–1998 : early domestic and european achiever [edit ]

In 1993, Del Piero transferred to Juventus and played for the Torinese golf club for 19 seasons until being released in the summer of 2012. [ 41 ] Although director Giovanni Trapattoni insisted that he trained with the aged team, he initially played with the Primavera squad, which was coached by Antonello Cuccureddu, helping the Juventus Youth team to win both the 1994 Torneo di Viareggio, and the 1994 U-20 championship. [ 42 ] Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia on 12 September 1993 under Trapattoni, as a substitute, and he scored his first finish in his adjacent game against Reggiana on 19 September, after coming off the bench once again. On his full debut for Juventus, he netted a hat-trick against Parma. [ 43 ] After his promise performances, Del Piero began to be deployed with more continuity, and he managed 14 appearances for Juventus that season between young matches, league matches, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Cup, scoring 5 goals, which all came in Serie A, as Juventus finished the season in second place in the league. [ 44 ] The 1994–95 Serie A temper experience Marcello Lippi take over as Juventus coach, equally well as the insertion of a new team of directors, made up of Giraudo, Roberto Bettega, and Luciano Moggi ; Del Piero played a more big function for the club that season following Roberto Baggio ‘s wound in November against Padova. Del Piero temporarily took his place in the first team aboard Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli, flourishing at the opportunity given to him, and Juventus went on to claim their first scudetto in nine years. Del Piero scored 8 goals in Serie A that season, including a match-winning chipped volley against Fiorentina. [ 45 ] Del Piero was besides able to achieve a rare double, and he captured the 1994–95 Coppa Italia with Juventus, defeating their season rivals Parma in the concluding, although they were defeated by Parma in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final. [ 46 ] During this time, Del Piero earned the nickname Pinturicchio due to the similarity between his own technical and tactical characteristics, and Baggio ‘s creative style of play. [ 47 ] This nickname arose when former president Gianni Agnelli compared the emerging endowment Del Piero to the renaissance artist Pinturicchio, who was the student of the great italian rebirth artist Raphael ( Raffaello ), a nickname he had used to describe Baggio, to emphasise his elegance on the ball. [ 31 ] Del Piero placed fourth in the 1995 Ballon d’Or for his performances throughout the season. [ 48 ] With the Turin clubhouse, Del Piero won the Serie A eight times, although the 2005 and 2006 titles were revoked due to Juventus ‘s affair in the 2006 italian football scandal. [ 49 ] For the 1995–96 season, Del Piero was awarded Baggio ‘s No. 10 squad total, which had besides previously belonged to Michel Platini, following his deviation to A.C. Milan. Del Piero scored 6 goals and provided 10 assists in Serie A, although Juventus finished the season in second plaza behind Milan. Del Piero did manage to capture the Supercoppa Italiana in 1995, over Parma, setting up Vialli ‘s merely goal of the match. [ 46 ] He besides played a key role in helping Juventus to win the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League, scoring 6 goals in the competition, and finishing as the second gear highest scorekeeper of the tournament. [ 50 ] The follow season, Del Piero followed these victories up with the 1996 UEFA Super Cup and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup, scoring goals in both finals, and being named Man of the Match in the latter final ; he besides won the Bravo Award ( as the best U-23 actor in european Competitions ), and placed 4th in the 1996 Ballon d’Or for the second straight year. [ 46 ] [ 51 ] [ 52 ] Del Piero besides captured his second gear Serie A entitle with Juventus that season, and helped lead Juventus to their second straight Champions League final, although he was ineffective to start the catch due to injury. [ 53 ] During the group stage, en path to the final, he helped Juventus to qualify for the quarter-finals a match early, scoring a goal in Juventus ‘s 1–0 succeed over Manchester United at Old Trafford, on 20 November 1996 ; this was the first time that an italian team had defeated Manchester United at their home land. [ 54 ] In the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final, he came off the judiciary to score a goal with a back-heel, which was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund. [ 55 ] due to his performances throughout the calendar class, Del Piero received nominations for both the 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing sixth [ 56 ] and the 1997 Ballon d’Or, [ 57 ]
Del Piero with Juventus in 1998 Del Piero began the following campaign powerfully by winning the 1997 Supercoppa Italiana, forming a hard offense unit of measurement with Juventus teammates Zinedine Zidane in midfield, and newcomer Filippo Inzaghi upfront. The 1997–98 Serie A crusade was his best season so far, as he scored a joint career best of 21 goals in Serie A, and finished top scorer in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League with 10 goals, [ 58 ] one of which included a freekick and a hat-trick against Monaco in the semi-finals. [ 59 ] With these goals, he helped Juventus to reach their third base straight Champions League final, although Del Piero was not in full fit for the match, [ 60 ] and Juventus were once again defeated, falling 1–0 to Real Madrid from a hit by Predrag Mijatović on 20 May. [ 61 ] Domestic success, however, was achieved that season, after a mean battle with Inter Milan, as Juventus celebrated its twenty-fifth Serie A title over their italian rivals, with Del Piero scoring a memorable and decisive individual match-winning goal during the controversial Derby d’Italia match. [ 62 ] [ 63 ] Del Piero besides managed a goal in the 1997–98 Coppa Italia that season, helping Juventus to the semi-finals, and finishing the season with a career best of 32 goals in all competitions. Del Piero was awarded the Serie A italian Footballer of the Year award for his performances, [ 64 ] and he was besides nominated for the 1998 Ballon d’Or. During this time, he was nicknamed by the fans as Il Fenomeno Vero [ 65 ] ( “ The substantial Phenomenon ” ), in comparison with the brazilian striker Ronaldo, who was nicknamed Il Fenomeno ( “ The Phenom ” ) by supporters of rivals Inter Milan. [ 66 ]

1998–2001 : injury struggles [edit ]

Juventus began the 1998–99 Serie A with a 2–1 get the better of in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana at the hands of Lazio, although Del Piero was able to score from a punishment. [ 67 ] On 8 November 1998, Del Piero picked up a dangerous stifle injury in the final examination minutes of a 2–2 withdraw with Udinese ; [ 68 ] this kept him out of action for the end of the season, as he managed lone 2 goals. The clubhouse struggled without him, finishing the league season in a disappointing sixth place. [ 70 ] Juventus did manage to reach the semi-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, losing out to eventual champions Manchester United. Following his serious injury, Del Piero underwent a muscle strengthening regimen in order to adapt to the increasingly more physical and athletic demands of twenty-first hundred football, which allowed him to compensate for the personnel casualty of some of his yard and agility. [ 71 ] due to his dramatic weight amplification and physical development during this period, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as the club ‘s success during the mid to late 90s, [ 72 ] Del Piero, along with several early Juventus players and staff members, was claimed of being involved in illegal performance-enhancing drug abuse ; [ 72 ] after a drawn-out probe, the club ‘s staff members incriminated were finally cleared of all doping allegations in 2005. [ 73 ] [ 74 ] During the following season under newly director Carlo Ancelotti, Del Piero primarily served as an assist-man, providing 14 assists in Serie A, the most in the league that season, and 20 in all competitions. [ 75 ] He faced criticism, however, for his inability to score in open play following his injury the previous season, as only one of his 9 Serie A goals that season was in receptive gambling ( a heading against Parma ), with the remainder coming from penalties. [ 75 ] Furthermore, towards the goal of the temper, his once excellent attacking partnership with Inzaghi became less effective, due to Inzaghi ‘s individualism, equally well as the pair ‘s miss of understand and strained relationship both on and off the pitch. [ 76 ] [ 77 ] [ 78 ] Del Piero helped Juventus to capture the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup that season, which allowed Juventus to qualify for the UEFA Cup ; overall, he scored 12 goals in all competitions, as Juventus narrowly missed out on the Serie A title. In 2000, Del Piero was the world ‘s best-paid football actor from salaries, bonuses, and advertise gross. [ 79 ] The pursuit season saw Juventus suffer another disappoint frustration losing out on the 2000–01 Serie A title once again, this time to Roma. Juventus and Del Piero began the season strongly, and Del Piero scored the winner on his season debut against Napoli on 30 September, [ 80 ] although he belated suffered another injury and fell out of imprint, failing to score. On 18 February 2001, Del Piero broke his goal drought, scoring in an away acquire over Bari. Del Piero celebrated the finish by dedicating it to his church father, who had recently died. [ 81 ] Del Piero refound his shape towards the end of the season, although he was ineffective to help Juventus capture the Serie A title, despite scoring a finish in a 2–2 draw against Roma. [ 82 ]

2001–2004 : New successes [edit ]

Del Piero was named Juventus captain upon Lippi ‘s return to Juventus, and he formed a formidable offensive partnership with french hitter David Trezeguet, who joined in 2000, and Czech playmaker Pavel Nedvěd, who arrived in 2001. Del Piero scored 16 goals and provided respective assists, as Juventus were crowned Serie A champions for a 26th time on 5 May 2002, the last equal day of the season ; Juventus won the entitle over Roma and Inter Milan by a single point, after a 2–0 away victory over Udinese, with goals from top-scorer Trezeguet and Del Piero. [ 83 ] Del Piero managed 21 goals in all competitions, besides scoring his 100th and 101st goals for Juventus that season, against Venezia, on 26 August 2001. [ 84 ] Del Piero besides helped Juventus reach the Coppa Italia final that season, although Juventus were defeated by Parma. [ 85 ] Juventus ‘s title success in 2002 enabled the cabaret to mechanically qualify for the UEFA Champions League the pursue season. Juventus began the 2002–03 season by winning the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana over Parma, with Del Piero scoring two goals, [ 86 ] and Juventus were besides able to successfully defend their Serie A championship. [ 17 ] Del Piero scored his hundredth goal in Serie A in a 2–1 acquire over Brescia on 27 April 2003. [ 87 ] In the UEFA Champions League, Juventus were placed in Group E aboard Newcastle United, Dynamo Kyiv, and Feyenoord. [ 88 ] Del Piero opened up his account in european competitions that season when he scored his side ‘s second goal in a 5–0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv on 24 September, after combining with Nedvěd and Mauro Camoranesi. [ 89 ] On the adjacent matchday, Juventus played master of ceremonies to Newcastle on 1 October and Del Piero hit a brace to help his club maintain the top point in their group. [ 90 ] Juventus advanced to the second group stage where the club managed to progress, along with Manchester United, on finish differential over FC Basel and Deportivo de La Coruña. [ 91 ] Juventus then saw off Barcelona in the quarter-finals through an supernumerary clock goal by Marcelo Zalayeta, [ 92 ] and faced spanish confrontation again in the likes of defending champions actual Madrid in the semi-finals. The triumvirate attacking partnership proved wonders for Juventus, as the team overturned a 2–1 first branch deficit to record a 4–3 sum win as all three attacking stars netted in a 3–1 home acquire in the second base leg. [ 93 ] Juventus faced italian rivals AC Milan in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final in Manchester on 28 May. After a scoreless 120 minutes, the connect went to a punishment shoot-out, where Del Piero finished his spot-kick, but it was n’t enough, as Juventus fell 3–2 in the shoot-out. [ 94 ] The follow season saw Juventus start powerfully, winning the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana over Milan on penalties, although Juventus were knocked out in the round off of 16 in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, and finished the 2003–04 Serie A temper in a disappoint one-third target. The club did manage to reach the 2004 Coppa Italia Final, only to be defeated by Lazio. Lippi left Juventus at the end of the season to take charge of the italian national team. [ 17 ]

2004–2006 : Calciopoli and delegating [edit ]

After Euro 2004, Juventus coach Marcello Lippi was replaced by Fabio Capello. Capello was not convinced of Del Piero ‘s fitness levels, and frequently benched him in favor of the younger, modern nauseating sign language Zlatan Ibrahimović. [ 95 ] Despite his limited play clock time, Del Piero distillery managed to score 14 goals, as Juventus won their 28th league title, due to his command processing overhead time aid to teammate David Trezeguet, which proved critical in a equal against Milan at the San Siro. [ 96 ] Del Piero besides helped Juventus to reach the quarter finals of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, only losing out to eventual champions Liverpool. [ 97 ] respective journalists and coaches believed that Del Piero was back to his best form in the 2005–06 Serie A, [ 98 ] as he managed 12 goals in Serie A, and 20 goals in all competitions, helping Juventus to defend the Serie A claim. His character at Juventus changed during his second season under Capello, who preferred to use him as an immediate-impact substitute. [ 37 ] due to his lack of act fourth dimension, Del Piero ‘s relationship with Capello was often strained. [ 99 ] On 10 January 2006, Del Piero became the all-time lead goalscorer for Juventus when he scored three times in a Coppa Italia equal against Fiorentina, taking his full goal count for the clubhouse to 185. The previous record holder was Giampiero Boniperti, with 182 goals. [ 100 ] Del Piero besides finished the season as the peak scorer of the Coppa Italia, with 5 goals. Del Piero equalled José Altafini ‘s Serie A commemorate of six goals as a substitute after scoring in the final examination infinitesimal of Juventus ‘ final examination game of the 2005–06 season, [ 101 ] before Juventus were forcibly relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal, besides having their two most holocene Serie A titles revoked. [ 49 ]

2006–2007 : Serie B champions [edit ]

After Juventus were demoted to Serie B and their two most late scudetti were revoked, Del Piero pledged that he would stay to captain the team. He underlined that players should remain with the team, explaining that “ The Agnelli family deserve this, as do the fans and the modern directors. ” [ 102 ] While many key players such as Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson, Gianluca Zambrotta, Patrick Vieira, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Lilian Thuram left, Del Piero chose to stay and help the club gain promotion. [ 103 ]

“ A true gentleman never leaves his lady. ” [ 104 ]

Del Piero about the “ Old Lady ” Juventus during Calciopoli, 2006
Del Piero playing for Juventus in September 2006 against Rimini during the 2006–07 Serie B temper Del Piero ‘s first appearance after the 2006 FIFA World Cup exuberate was in a Coppa Italia equal against Cesena on 23 August 2006. As Juventus played in the Serie B for the 2006–07 season, the Coppa Italia crusade became increasingly important for the club in club to achieve a UEFA Cup blot. Having been on vacation ahead, Del Piero started on the bench. Juventus and Cesena were locked on 1–1 when Del Piero entered in the 74th infinitesimal and after nine seconds, he scored the victorious goal for Juventus. [ 105 ] Del Piero then came on as a stand-in in the 61st moment during Juventus ‘s next Coppa Italia meet on 27 August, against Napoli. once again Juventus came from behind, as Del Piero scored doubly to give his team the run. The match finally went to penalties ; although Del Piero scored his spot-kick, Napoli won 5–4 in the penalty shoot-out. [ 106 ] Despite starting the season with a nine-point punishment from the match-fixing scandal, [ 107 ] Juventus gained promotion to Serie A as Serie B champions ; [ 108 ] Del Piero finished the league campaign as the top scorer of the 2006–07 Serie B season, with 20 goals. [ 109 ] During the temper, Del Piero besides managed his two-hundredth goal with Juventus on 21 October 2006, in a 1–0 league victory over Frosinone. [ 110 ]

2007–2011 : refund to Serie A and post- Calciopoli struggles [edit ]

“ Del Piero never in truth grows old. ” [ 111 ]

Diego Maradona, 2008
Del Piero during the 2007–08 season against Fiorentina Following Juventus ‘s return to Serie A, Del Piero was locked in months of fractious negotiations over the sign language of a new sign with Juventus ‘ new management. After successfully negotiating a new condense till 30 June 2010, [ 112 ] he was greeted with news of the parentage of his first child, Tobias Del Piero. [ 113 ] This was quite a stagger turnaround in his fortunes, as only two weeks early, he was dropped by Claudio Ranieri for the Serie A couple with Fiorentina, [ 114 ] and was then axed from Roberto Donadoni ‘s Italy squad for the games with Georgia and South Africa. [ 115 ] On 15 December 2007, Del Piero scored two goals away at Lazio and was named to two straight Serie A team of the week. [ 116 ] In February 2008, he scored the succeed finish for Juventus from a free-kick in a 1–0 Serie A home victory over Roma. [ 117 ] On 6 April 2008, he set a new appearance record for Juventus, overtaking Gaetano Scirea ‘s previous match of 552 matches in all competitions. [ 118 ] [ 119 ] In April, he registered seven goals in five Serie A matches, including a hat-trick in a 0–4 aside win over Atalanta. [ 120 ] On the final weekend of the 2007–08 season, Del Piero scored a brace against Sampdoria in a 3–3 draw. [ 121 ] These two goals were crucial, as it took him to 21 goals for the season, therefore winning him the Capocannonieri choice in Serie A for the first fourth dimension in his celebrated career, beating the likes of teammate David Trezeguet ( 20 goals ) and Marco Borriello ( 19 goals ), besides matching his highest seasonal count in Serie A since the 1997–98 season. [ 122 ] He became alone the second italian ever to win consecutive Capocannoniere titles in two different leagues – former Juventus and 1982 World Cup bomber Paolo Rossi being the other. ( Coincidentally, Rossi besides won the Capocannoniere titles like Del Piero – first in Serie B and then in Serie A ). On 26 July, Del Piero was awarded the Scirea Award. [ 123 ] Juventus finished the 2007–08 Serie A season in one-third space, which allowed them to qualify for the UEFA Champions League the following season. Before the season, Juventus director Claudio Ranieri remarked that Del Piero would have deoxyadenosine monophosphate dependable a season, or an even better one, than the previous term. In August 2008, Del Piero announced that he would try to keep playing professional football with Juventus until he turned 40. [ 124 ] Juventus were drawn into the lapp Champions League group as Real Madrid, and UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint Petersburg. Del Piero marked Juventus ‘s return to the competition with a match-winning free kick to seal a home winnings against Zenit. [ 125 ] On 21 October, Del Piero netted a noteworthy goal as Juventus defeated Real Madrid 2–1 in Turin, scoring with a first-time, curling strike from distance, in the fifth minute of free rein. [ 126 ] [ 127 ]
Del Piero with Juventus in 2008 On 5 November 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off at Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League. The Italians won 0–2, their first away win against Madrid since 1962, and Del Piero was a key performer, scoring both goals, and drawing praise from Ranieri, american samoa well as Real Madrid ‘s bus Bernd Schuster. [ 128 ] As he left the pitch after being substituted, fans from both sides gave him a standing ovation. [ 129 ] Juventus ‘s Champions League campaign ended in disappointment, as they were eliminated by Chelsea in the second round of golf. Despite converting a penalty in the second branch in Turin, Del Piero was ineffective to prevent Juventus from losing 3–2 on sum. [ 130 ] On 29 November 2008, Del Piero scored his 250th goal for Juventus from a penalty, in a 4–0 dwelling win over Reggina. [ 131 ] In the league, Juventus were by and large challenging Milan for second gear place and an automatic pistol Champions League touch. Most notably, Del Piero inspired Juventus to a 3–0 gain over Siena in their penultimate game of the season, scoring a brace and setting up Claudio Marchisio for the child ‘s third goal of the season to end their operate of seven winless matches in Serie A. [ 132 ] Juventus then went on to defeat Lazio 2–0 and clinch the second place spot in Serie A over Milan, determined by their neck and neck record. [ 133 ] On 17 July 2009, Del Piero extended his contract with Juventus by one more year until 30 June 2011 in Pinzolo while training for pre-season, thus practically ensuring that he would retire at the cabaret with which he started his professional career. [ 134 ] During his reclamation, he said : “ I am happy at Juventus and we are competitive. I want to keep bring for american samoa long as I can and I ‘m certain that for at least two more years I will be at the top level. ” On 14 February 2010, Del Piero marked his 445th Serie A appearance, breaking the all-time golf club record previously held by Boniperti, with a brace in a 3–2 win against Genoa. [ 135 ] Del Piero finished the temper as the all-time top scorer for Juventus, having scored over 250 goals in all competitions with the club, and having besides made over 600 appearances in official matches for Juventus, breaking Scirea ‘s appearance phonograph record. [ 136 ] [ 137 ] On 14 March 2010, Del Piero recorded his 300th and 301st career goals during a 3–3 draw with Siena, with the first two goals coming in the second and one-seventh minutes. [ 138 ] On 30 October 2010, he recorded his 179th Serie A goal, helping his side to a 2–1 win at Milan, breaking the record of club caption Giampiero Boniperti as Juventus ‘s exceed scorekeeper in Serie A, and further cementing his status as the most prolific goalscorer in Juventus history. [ 139 ] On 5 February 2011, with his substitution against Cagliari, Alessandro Del Piero became the most cap Juventus player, edging out erstwhile Juventus caption Giampiero Boniperti. [ 140 ] Del Piero was the third most capped active player in the Serie A at the time, behind Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti, respectively. On 5 May 2011, he signed a new annual contract to stay at the Juventus Arena. His previous hand was due to expire on 30 June 2011. [ 141 ] On 24 May 2011, Del Piero and Juventus played against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a friendly match being erstwhile England defender Gary Neville ‘s testimonial couple. Del Piero was substituted after 65 minutes to a standing ovation from the United supporters. [ 142 ]

2011–2012 : champion again in final season with Juventus [edit ]

Del Piero before a match in April 2012 Juventus confirmed on 18 October 2011 that the 2011–12 Serie A would be Del Piero ‘s last season with the club. [ 143 ] The 2011–12 season under newly director Antonio Conte, his former Juventus teammate, saw Del Piero being used meagerly, and chiefly as a utility, because of the summer arrival of forward Mirko Vučinić from Roma. In the club ‘s unfold peer of the temper against Parma on 11 September, he assisted Simone Pepe ‘s goal in an eventual 4–1 home winnings. [ 144 ] [ 145 ] Del Piero scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on 24 January 2012, in a 3–0 win over Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. [ 146 ] Later in the season, Del Piero stated that he was surprised at Juventus president Andrea Agnelli ‘s announcement regarding the clubhouse ‘s decisiveness not to offer him a modern shrink. [ 147 ] In the moment branch of Juventus ‘s clash with Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Del Piero finished off a brilliant be active by Juventus as they secured a 2–2 pull to progress to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win. [ 148 ] On 25 March, Del Piero helped Juventus frustration Inter Milan by scoring the second goal of the match in a 2–0 victory, his first goal of the Serie A season. [ 149 ] In Juventus ‘ match against Lazio on 11 April, Del Piero replaced Vučinić in the second half, making his 700th appearance for Juventus, [ 150 ] and then went on to score from a unblock kick to earn his side a 2–1 victory ; the resultant role besides enabled Juventus to return to the circus tent of the Serie A table. [ 151 ] On 13 May, Del Piero started Juventus ‘s final examination league game of the temper against Atalanta, marking the affair and the victory of their 28th Serie A deed by scoring a goal. [ 152 ] twenty-seven minutes into the match, Del Piero picked the ball up at the edge of the penalty box and placed a injection past Giorgio Frezzolini to make the score 2–0, helping Juventus to go undefeated in Serie A that season. [ 153 ] He was substituted away after 59 minutes to an emotional reply from both sets of players and supporters, as he made a lap of honor around the pitch. This was Alessandro Del Piero ‘s final Serie A appearance for Juventus. [ 154 ] [ 155 ]
A commemorative shirt, celebrating Del Piero ‘s five-hundredth Juventus appearance Del Piero ‘s concluding couple for Juventus was in the Coppa Italia Final on 20 May against Napoli, which ended in a 2–0 victory to the Neapolitans. Del Piero was substituted in the 67th hour for Vučinić as his Juventus career came to an end ; he received a standing ovation from both the Juventus and Napoli fans. [ 156 ] [ 157 ] Following the game, he confirmed that after his 19-year go with Juventus, he did not plan to retire. He then left the club and became a free agent. In total, Del Piero made a club record of 705 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring a record 290 goals, and providing 134 assists in all competitions throughout his career with the club ; he besides scored 188 goals and provided 105 assists in 478 Serie A appearances with the Turin baseball club. [ 158 ] [ 159 ] In addition to these records, Del Piero is besides Juventus ‘s top scorer and irregular highest appearance holder in the UEFA Champions League, behind lone Buffon, with 44 goals in 92 appearances ; he is besides the top scorer and appearance holder for Juventus in european Competitions, with 50 goals in 125 appearances, in International competitions, with 54 goals in 131 appearances, and in the Supercoppa Italiana, with 3 goals in 6 appearances. He is the clubhouse ‘s top-scorer in Serie B, with 21 goals, and the club ‘s second base highest scorer in the Coppa Italia, with 25 goals, behind Pietro Anastasi. [ 160 ] [ 161 ] Alongside Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino, Del Piero is besides the one-ninth highest all-time goalscorer in Serie A, and he is presently the joint all-time top scorer in the Supercoppa Italiana, aboard Samuel Eto’o, Andriy Shevchenko, and Carlos Tevez. [ 162 ] As of May 2016, he is the thirteenth highest UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer, with 41 goals. [ 163 ] Del Piero refused the display panel ‘s offer to retire the No. 10 shirt in his honor, saying : “ I ‘ve in truth had so much that I would never want it to be retired, this way, every child can dream one sidereal day of wearing it. ” [ 164 ] On 30 June, Del Piero wrote an overt letter to the Juventus fans thanking them for about two decades of support, submit : “ Above all what remains is the fans, you who are Juventus. That jersey that I loved and will constantly love, that I desired and respected … From tomorrow I will no long be a Juventus player, but I will always be one of you. now a new venture begins and I am a fired up as I was 19 summers ago. ” [ 165 ]

Sydney FC [edit ]

Del Piero education with Sydney FC in 2014 Del Piero playing for Sydney FC in 2013 On 5 September 2012, Del Piero signed a biennial cope with Sydney FC. He was paid approximately AU $ 3.5 million for each of his first gear two seasons, and therefore became the highest-paid football player to ever play in Australia. [ 166 ] Del Piero had been linked to Liverpool anterior to signing for Sydney, but late revealed due to his memories of Heysel he would not have been able to move to the cabaret. [ 167 ] Upon signing for Sydney FC, Del Piero said : “ It ‘s a particular day for me. I am happy to announce that I precisely signed for two years for Sydney FC. This is a very adult moment for me because I want to continue my career in a newfangled part of the world where I can make a major contribution and avail grow the bet on I love. ” [ 168 ] After the announcement of the remove to Sydney FC, Juventus wished adept fortune to their former captain. [ 169 ] Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi said they were saddened by his passing. [ 170 ] [ 171 ] Sydney FC president Scott Barlow said : “ The sign of Alessandro Del Piero is a big moment for this club and, we believe, a historic here and now for football in Australia, I would n’t like to go into the details of the sign, but this does represent the largest professional clean contract in australian history and the numbers that have been discussed are n’t excessively far off the notice. ” [ 172 ] Football Federation Australia head executive Ben Buckley said that this sign would be crucial for the growth of australian Football, both economically and technically. [ 172 ] Ian Crook, coach of Sydney FC, said he would build the advancing set-up around the italian, who would be given license to pull the strings, adding : “ We ‘re not going to reinvent the bicycle here. He ‘s played 19 years for one of the biggest four or five clubs in the world, as a No. 10 or a No. 9. We ‘re not going to change that. ” [ 173 ] FIFA President Sepp Blatter sent his best wishes to Del Piero and his new club. [ 174 ]

Delhi Dynamos [edit ]

On 23 August 2014, it was reported that Delhi Dynamos, an indian side that was set to play in the inaugural address indian Super League temper, was in talks with Del Piero. [ 191 ] His brother, Stefano Del Piero said, “ During the last ( few ) weeks, we have received inquiries from several teams, not lone from India but besides from other countries. There is a lot of interest in Alessandro. ” [ 192 ] On 28 August 2014, he formally signed for the Delhi -based outfit, signing a four-month cover. [ 193 ] He reportedly is the highest pay up actor in the history of amerind football. [ 194 ] [ 195 ] [ 196 ] Del Piero made his debut for the Delhi Dynamos on 14 October in a 0–0 draw against Pune City, a english which featured his former Juventus teammate David Trezeguet. [ 197 ] On 9 December, Del Piero scored his first and only Delhi Dynamos goal, netting directly from a exempt kick, in a 2–2 draw against Chennaiyin. [ 198 ] Del Piero made 10 appearances throughout the season as Delhi finished in fifth home, failing to reach the play-offs by a single point. [ 199 ]

retirement [edit ]

In October 2015, after about a year without a cabaret, Del Piero formally communicated his retirement from professional football, besides stating his intention to pursue a coach career. [ 5 ]

International career [edit ]

1995–1998 : euro 1996 and 1998 World Cup [edit ]

Del Piero is presently Italy ‘s roast fourth all-time leading scorer, along with Roberto Baggio, with 27 goals in 91 appearances, with 2 goals for Italy coming in 12 World Cup matches and 1 goal in 13 european Championship matches ; [ 200 ] aboard Enrico Chiesa, he besides holds the alone read for the most goals scored by an italian external as a utility ( 5 ). [ 201 ] Del Piero initially played for the italian U-21 side on 12 occasions, scoring 3 goals, and was a member of the team that qualified for and late won the 1996 european Under-21 Championship, appearing in the quarter-finals. [ 200 ] Del Piero made his senior debut under Arrigo Sacchi at the age of 20, on 25 March 1995, in a 4–1 winnings over Estonia in a Euro 1996 qualifying match. [ 200 ] Del Piero scored his first goal for Italy on 15 November 1995, in a 4–0 succeed over Lithuania in a Euro 1996 qualifying match. [ 200 ] His tournament debut was at UEFA Euro 1996, where he made his entirely appearance in the beginning half of the team ‘s 2–1 win in the opening group match against Russia, playing as a collectivist in midfield, wearing the number 14 shirt, before being substituted at half-time by Roberto Donadoni. [ 202 ] [ 203 ] The adjacent year, Del Piero was part of the Italy team that took part in the friendly “ Tournoi de France “ tournament from 3 to 11 June 1997 under Cesare Maldini. Del Piero scored two goals in a 3–3 drawing card against Brazil, [ 204 ] and scored from a penalty against France in the 90th infinitesimal, [ 205 ] finishing the tournament as top-scorer with 3 goals, although Italy finished in stopping point place. [ 206 ] Del Piero competed with fan front-runner Roberto Baggio for an attacking topographic point in the starting 11 during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, while struggling to recover from an wound suffered during the 1998 Champions League concluding with Juventus ; Del Piero missed out on Italy ‘s 2–2 opening withdraw against Chile, and was temporarily replaced by Baggio. [ 207 ] He made his first World Cup appearance in the second group catch, a 3–0 frustration of Cameroon, coming on for Baggio in the second half, wearing the count 10 shirt, and contributing to Christian Vieri ‘s final goal. [ 208 ] In the final group game against Austria, Del Piero won his first gear originate, setting up Vieri ‘s opening finish of the match from a free-kick as Italy won 2–1 to top their group and seal a passage into the future round, avoiding reigning champions Brazil ; he was substituted by Baggio in the second base half. [ 209 ] Italy reached the quarter-finals after defeating norway 1–0, as Del Piero started the match alongside Vieri once again, coming off for Enrico Chiesa in the 77th minute. [ 210 ] Italy finally fell to hosts and eventual champions France on punishment kicks, following a 0–0 draw ; Del Piero was criticised for his performance and was substituted in the second half by Baggio once again. [ 211 ]

1998–2004 : euro 2000 runner-up and subsequent struggles [edit ]

Del Piero was region of Dino Zoff ‘s Italy ‘s police squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2000. Although he was chiefly used as a substitute for either Francesco Totti or Stefano Fiore, Del Piero appeared in every equal of the tournament, and he wore the number 10 shirt. On 11 June, Del Piero came on as a substitute for Fiore in the thirtieth infinitesimal in Italy ‘s opening Group B 2–1 win against Turkey, hitting the cross-bar from a free-kick. [ 212 ] In the final group game, Del Piero started the equal and scored the winner with a noteworthy finish against Sweden, taking it past two players before curling the ball into the clear corner from outside the area with a left-footed hit ; Del Piero besides set up Luigi Di Biagio ‘s undoer from a corner. [ 213 ] Del Piero made his moment start of the tournament for Italy in their semi-final against co-hosts, Netherlands, which Italy won on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra-time. [ 214 ] In the final, he come on as a substitute in the moment half and missed two gilt-edged chances in Italy ‘s 2–1 loss to France in extra time, and was criticised by the italian press. [ 215 ] Del Piero returned to the external picture in the 2002 FIFA World Cup under Giovanni Trapattoni after winning the scudetto with Juventus. [ 216 ] He scored the decisive goal against Hungary, which sealed Italy ‘s qualification for the finals. [ 217 ] Del Piero appeared as a alternate in Italy ‘s opening winnings against Ecuador, wearing the captain ‘s armband for share of the match. [ 218 ] He immediately scored with a header against Mexico, after coming on as a substitute, an equal goal which saved Italy from the shame of a first orotund exit in their final group match. [ 219 ] The goal sent Italy through to the second base beat, where they were eliminated by a golden finish in a controversial equal against co-hosts South Korea, a catch during which Del Piero started aboard Totti and Vieri. [ 220 ] [ 221 ] Del Piero took function in 6 of Italy ‘s 2004 european Qualifying matches, scoring 5 goals, and was called up for the Italy team that would participate in UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. [ 222 ] [ 223 ] Del Piero started all three matches, wearing the captain ‘s armband in Italy ‘s final acquire over Bulgaria, and was involved in Cassano ‘s injury meter match-winning goal, although Italy were eliminated in the first circle on direct encounters, following a tripartite five decimal point bind with Sweden and Denmark. [ 46 ] [ 224 ] [ 225 ]

2004–2008 : World Cup champion and post-World Cup [edit ]

Del Piero after Italy ‘s triumphant 2006 World Cup semi-final against hosts Germany Del Piero took part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup under coach Marcello Lippi, [ 226 ] appearing in five matches, and two out of the three group degree matches ; he made his first start of the rival in a 1–0 round off of 16 win over Australia on 26 June. [ 46 ] On 4 July, Del Piero entered as a stand-in near the end of regulation and scored Italy ‘s second goal in a 2–0 semi-final gain over server Germany. [ 227 ] [ 228 ] In the final examination against France, which ended 1–1 after extra prison term, Del Piero scored a penalty in the gunfight as Italy won the tournament for the fourth time. [ 229 ] He admitted afterwards that winning the World Cup was his childhood dream. [ 230 ] As of 2008, Del Piero has captained Italy seven times ( including during UEFA Euro 2008 ). He besides initially regularly wore the count 10 shirt, in finical under Maldini and Zoff, but by and by gave it to Totti after Euro 2000, and switched to the number 7 for the 2002 World Cup, as it was the first number he wore at the begin of his career. [ 231 ] even though the total 10 shirt was vacated after Totti retired from the national team in July 2007, Del Piero denied any sake in taking back the numeral, saying he was satisfied with the number 7 jersey. [ 232 ] In May, he was recalled by democratic requirement to Italy ‘s UEFA Euro 2008 police squad in Austria and Switzerland under coach Roberto Donadoni, after a nine-month absence from international duty, and thus became the second base Italian player, after Paolo Maldini, to participate in seven major international tournaments ( Euro 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 ; World Cup 1998, 2002, 2006 ). [ 46 ] Although Del Piero was largely on the substitutes ‘ judiciary at Euro 2008, he started in Italy ‘s second base group match against Romania as the team ‘s captain. [ 233 ] In the first group meet against the dutch, he came on for the under-performing Antonio Di Natale and made an immediate impact, including respective efforts on goal ; however, he could not prevent Italy from losing 3–0. [ 234 ] Italy qualified through the group stage in second-place behind the Netherlands, eliminating Romania and France. [ 235 ] In the quarter-final against eventual champions Spain, Del Piero made a substitute appearance during extra-time, and with the game ending in a 0–0 draw, it was decided by a penalty gunfight in which Spain won 4–2. [ 236 ] On 20 August 2008, Del Piero won his 90th capital for Italy in friendly against Austria under Lippi, becoming only the fifth Italy player to reach this landmark at the time. [ 237 ] Despite announcing his purpose to carry on playing until the age of 40, he was excluded from Lippi ‘s 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. Del Piero ‘s final examination appearance for Italy came in a 2–0 acquire against Georgia in a 2010 FIFA World Cup modifier on 10 September 2008 ; he came on for Di Natale in the 56th moment and belated set up Daniele De Rossi ‘s moment goal of the match. [ 238 ] [ 239 ] In 2013, the Italy national team coach at the fourth dimension, Cesare Prandelli, stated that he would consider calling Del Piero up for the 2014 World Cup, although he was ultimately excluded from the italian squad that participated at the tournament in Brazil. [ 240 ]

Player profile [edit ]

style of shimmer [edit ]

“ [ Del Piero ] is different to Zinedine Zidane. He likes to play, he feels it in his soul. Between him and the Frenchman, I choose him. ” [ 241 ]

Diego Maradona, 2012
due to his creative vogue of dally, eye for goal, flair, and technical skill, Del Piero was known as a “ fantasista ” in Italy. [ 242 ] His hard-working play style was regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals a well as scoring himself, as opposed to equitable “ goal poach ”. [ 31 ] Because of his technical characteristics, link-up act, and ability at one–twos, Del Piero normally played as a supporting-striker, which was his prefer role, [ 242 ] although he was a tactically versatile fore, with good bowel movement and clinical coating, who was able of playing anywhere along the front agate line, and who besides established himself as a prolific goalscorer throughout his career. He was besides occasionally deployed between the midfield and the strikers as a playmaking attacking midfielder, known in Italy as the trequartista position, due to his vision, passing roll, ball control, dribbling ability ( in particular in one on one situations ) and creativity, although he frequently stated that this was not his preferable position. As such, Del Piero ‘s erstwhile Juventus teammate and director Didier Deschamps described him as a “ nine and a half ” in 2006, a description that Michel Platini had previously besides used to describe Roberto Baggio, to indicate that Del Piero ‘s favor function was somewhere between that of a striker ( who traditionally wore the count nine shirt ) and an attacking midfielder ( who traditionally wore the act ten shirt ), namely that of a second gear striker. [ 243 ] [ 244 ] [ 245 ] [ 246 ] [ 247 ] [ 248 ] [ 249 ] [ 250 ] Del Piero was besides employed occasionally as a winger in a 4–4–2 geological formation throughout his career, in finical during his time under Sacchi with the Italy national football team, [ 251 ] due to his inclination to drift onto the wings, [ 252 ] defensive work-rate, [ 253 ] and his cross accuracy, [ 254 ] a well as his ability to use either foot. [ 255 ]

position and reception [edit ]

Del Piero is widely regarded by players, pundits, and managers as one of the greatest players of his generation [ 15 ] [ 16 ] and as one of the best italian players of all time, [ 17 ] [ 18 ] A precocious talent, [ 256 ] in his youth, Del Piero played in the “ trident-attack ” of Lippi ‘s 4–3–3 formation, along with veterans Vialli, Baggio, and Ravanelli, as a striker, or more frequently as an outside forth on the leave wing. [ 248 ] [ 257 ] [ 258 ] With the arrival of Zidane in the advanced midfield playmaking character, Juventus ‘s formation changed to a 4–4–2 system, and Del Piero partnered alongside a more offense striker up front, such as christian Vieri and subsequently Inzaghi, as either a supporting forward or as an absolute striker. [ 258 ] [ 259 ] [ 260 ] [ 261 ] After losing some of his explosive pace, speed of execution, dash, and agility following his injury in 1998, Del Piero performed a muscleman strengthening government, and he took on a more creative function, in combination with playmaker Zidane, functioning in a complimentary put, just in front of the attacking midfielder and behind the independent striker Inzaghi, under Ancelotti, in the club ‘s 3–4–1–2 constitution ; [ 244 ] [ 250 ] [ 258 ] [ 262 ] [ 263 ] [ 264 ] although he was accused by some in the media of not living up to his potential following his injury, due to his decrease in goalscoring, [ 265 ] [ 266 ] he successfully adapted to his newfangled creative attacking function as an help supplier. [ 267 ] [ 268 ] [ 269 ] As Juventus ‘s play style continued to change during Lippi ‘s second stint with Juventus starting in 2001, Del Piero partnered with Zidane ‘s surrogate, Nedvěd, in a free creative character in battlefront of the midfield, or occasionally on the leave flank, as a supporting striker in a fluid 4–4–2 formation, with Trezeguet upfront ; he subsequently continued to play a similar role under Capello and late managers, and was even occasionally used in a more dysphemistic function as a main striker, although he became increasingly deployed as a substitute ascribable to his advancing age. [ 258 ] [ 270 ] [ 271 ] [ 272 ] [ 273 ] Regarding the contrast between Del Piero ‘s world–class performances in his young person and his initial contend to replicate the heights he achieved anterior to his career–threatening injury in 1998, Roberto Beccantini noted in a Treccani profile on Del Piero : “ There were two Del Pieros : one was the matchless fantasista, capable of scoring unforgettable goals and producing extraordinary assists ; the other is the fore that, after Zeman ‘s allegations of his habit of performing enhancing drugs and the dangerous wound he suffered to his left knee on 8 November 1998 in Udine, struggled to find himself and went from his 21 league goals of the 1997–98 season, a personal record, to entirely one goal in open gambling ( plus 8 penalties scored ) during the 1999–2000 season. ” He besides noted that Del Piero struggled to replicate his club performances with Juventus at external level with Italy, in particular in major tournaments. [ 256 ] [ 274 ] Despite his injury struggles, Del Piero besides stood out for his longevity throughout his career, and drew praise in the media for his reproducible goalscoring and the high–level of performance he managed to maintain even into his late 30s. [ 275 ] In accession to his talent and footballing abilities, Del Piero besides drew praise from pundits throughout his career for his leadership with Juventus, [ 276 ] and served as the team ‘s captain despite his diffident personality ; [ 256 ] he besides drew acclaim in the media for his fair dally and discipline behavior on the peddle. [ 277 ]

Set pieces [edit ]

“ [ Alessandro ] Del Piero [ is the best italian musician ], we ‘re the like age and I ‘ve followed his whole career. ” [ 278 ]

Ryan Giggs, 2012
Del Piero was a rid kick and penalty bang ( 62 goals from penalties ) specialist. [ 265 ] He is the third highest scorer of penalties in Serie A history, scoring 50 times out of 61 attempts, behind lone Francesco Totti and Roberto Baggio. [ 279 ] Del Piero ‘s unique rid complain technique was normally characterised by a curled affect which rose high over the rampart, and then on the spur of the moment dropped into the top corner of the finish ; [ 280 ] he attributes his ability on set pieces to the meter spent studying Roberto Baggio in training during their clock together at Juventus, [ 47 ] [ 281 ] [ 282 ] and was besides influenced by the rid gripe proficiency of one of his idols, Platini. indeed, in his early years with the Turin club, Del Piero ‘s free kick back proficiency was compared to that of the Frenchman, as he preferred to strike the ball from a distance of around 20 metres from the goal, with a direct kick, quite than having it touched by a teammate first. [ 283 ] Del Piero is presently the italian all-time top scorer from free kicks in all competitions ( 52 goals : 46 goals at cabaret grade, 6 goals with the Italy national team ). [ 243 ] [ 284 ] He is besides the third all-time highest goalscorer of free kicks in Serie A, with 22 goals, behind only Andrea Pirlo and Siniša Mihajlović. [ 285 ]

“ Del Piero Goal and Zone ” [edit ]

The football media refer to a “ Del Piero Goal ” ( Gol alla Del Piero in italian ), a style of scoring involving a dribbling approach from the flank, followed by a precise, curling lob into the far top corner of the goal, from outside the area, with a player ‘s stronger foot after cutting into the center ; [ 286 ] [ 287 ] as such, this area of the pitch besides became known as the “ Del Piero Zone ” in the media ( Zona Del Piero in italian ). [ 244 ] This association came about as Del Piero had scored respective goals in this manner, both in open play and from set-pieces, with his right foot after cutting in from the leave flank, during his first two seasons under Lippi, in particular during Juventus ‘s victorious 1995–96 Champions League campaign ; [ 288 ] Del Piero continued to score alike goals throughout his career, [ 289 ] [ 290 ] and the “ Del Piero Goal ” pronounce [ 291 ] has besides been used to describe similar goals by early players. [ 292 ]

Goal celebrations [edit ]

In his former career, after scoring a finish, Del Piero much celebrated by running to the touchline in front of the fans with his arms out-stretched, and sticking out his clapper, in a exchangeable manner to Michael Jordan, besides frequently leaping into the air with a raised fist towards the sky, or sliding onto his knees whilst passionately chanting to the crowd. [ 293 ] [ 294 ] [ 295 ] [ 296 ] Del Piero besides performed a back-flip finish celebration in a 2008 UEFA Champions League match against Zenit, [ 297 ] and he besides pointed up at the sky after scoring on certain occasions, [ 298 ] to dedicate a goal to his late father, such as when he scored against Bari during the 2000–01 season, [ 81 ] and Mexico at the 2002 World Cup. [ 219 ]

personal life [edit ]

Del Piero and his wife Sonia at the 2013 ARIA Music Awards in Sydney Del Piero is married to Sonia Amoruso and the two have been together since 1999 and married in 2005. [ 299 ] They have three children, son Tobias ( bear 2007 ), [ 113 ] [ 300 ] daughter Dorotea ( give birth 2009 ), [ 301 ] and son Sasha ( give birth 2010 ). [ 302 ] When the Olympic Flame for the 2006 Winter Olympics passed through Turin, Del Piero was a torchbearer. [ 303 ] He has an pastime in sports outside of football, peculiarly basketball, and in turn has gained fans outside of football ; sport icons such as NBA star topology Steve Nash and cyclist Eddy Merckx have stated that they are fans of Del Piero. [ 304 ] [ 305 ] Del Piero has a lament interest in music. He has recorded some of his own albums. [ 306 ] Along with Marco Materazzi, Del Piero appeared on stagecoach at a Rolling Stones display in Milan shortly after Italy ‘s World Cup acquire. [ 307 ] He is a good friend of musician and singer Noel Gallagher and a fan of his early band Oasis ; Del Piero appears in the Oasis video “ Lord Do n’t Slow Me Down “. [ citation needed ] One of Del Piero ‘s inspirations as a child was japanese football manga Captain Tsubasa. [ 308 ] In 2012, Del Piero participated in the Save the Dream project against corruptness in the fun and spoke about this at Sorbonne during the Sport Integrity Symposium. [ 309 ] [ 310 ] Since March 2018, Del Piero has been running an italian restaurant in Los Angeles called No.10, representing his new jersey No. 10. [ 311 ] [ 312 ]

Charity work [edit ]

Del Piero has promoted and supported a act of charities. In 1998, he donated 5.2 million lire to Fondazione Bambini in Emergenza for abandoned children and victims of AIDS by auctioning his Juventus shirt. [ 313 ] In 2001, he was ambassador for Un gol per lanthanum ricerca, a cancer-research visualize. [ 314 ] In 2006, he was AIRC testimonial for the cancer research and in recognition of this, he has received from the President of Italy a respect of Believe in Research. [ 315 ] In 2008, he participated in a golf tournament organized by the foundation of Gianluca Vialli and Massimo Mauro for Amyotrophic lateral pass sclerosis research. [ 316 ] In 2009, he played a friendly match at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino with his team Ale 10+ ; the proceeds ( €180,000 ) were donated to solidarity projects. [ 317 ] In 2010, Del Piero auctioned off his Juventus shirt total 10 for the foundation garment Un Campo per L’Aquila. [ 318 ] On 1 April 2011, he launched the ale10friendsforjapan project, which he designed to help japanese earthquake victims creating a web site to sell T-shirts and collecting $ 303,880. [ 319 ] In 2011, he participated in the golf tournament Fondazione Sant’Anna Cup – Crescere insieme for the neonatal intensive concern unit of measurement of the hospital Sant’Anna. [ 320 ] On 21 July 2012, he played a friendly couple at Kashima Stadium organized by J. League ( Del Piero scored one finish and he left the field with a standing ovation ) ; the collection was donated to the japanese earthquake victims of 2011. [ 321 ] Del Piero was testimonial of ADISCO, for the contribution of umbilical cord cord lineage, [ 322 ] [ 323 ] and testimony of 1GOAL for the education of poor people children. [ 323 ] In 2015, in respect of Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna, Del Piero facilitated and inaugurated the AYRTON exhibition in Turin, open between February and May 2015. The exhibition is curated by, and with tickets proceeds going to, the Instituto Ayrton Senna charity. [ 324 ]

television receiver, games, and promotion [edit ]

FIFA 2004 Del Piero during the presentation of Del Piero has featured in diverse advertisements and is under narrow with german sports equipment manufacturer Adidas, Uliveto urine, Fiat, japanese motorbike company Suzuki, Pepsi, [ 325 ] Bliss, Cepu, Walt Disney, and Upper Deck. [ 326 ] In 2006, Del Piero appeared in a television commercial for the japanese motor scooter Suzuki Burgman together with the sports agent Andreas Goller. [ 327 ] He is besides known for his common sense of humor and is a popular guest at italian drollery shows such as Paperissima and Striscia la notizia. He featured in the film L’allenatore nel pallone 2 and in the show La sai l’ultima di Totti, a series of short drollery sketches created by his good acquaintance and Roma captain Francesco Totti in which the two of them and national teammates early A.C. Milan defender Alessandro Nesta, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and striker Antonio Cassano would tell jokes and anecdotes about one another. [ citation needed ] Del Piero was featured on the covering of EA Sports FIFA Football 2004 television plot, aboard Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho, [ 328 ] and on the cover of the italian version of the FIFA World Cup 2006 video game. [ 329 ] He was besides named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 17. [ 330 ] He was one of the two stars featured on the shroud of the italian version of PES 2010 video game, the other being Barcelona ‘s Lionel Messi. [ 331 ] In 2015, Del Piero joined Sky Sport Italia as a initiate. [ 9 ] In 2017, he appeared in the Netflix docu-series called First Team: Juventus. [ 332 ] In 2018, Konami announced that Del Piero would feature in their football television game Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 as one of the newfangled myClub Legends. [ 333 ] [ 334 ] Starting in 2020, Del Piero joined ESPN as a football analyst for ESPN FC and UEFA Euro 2020. [ 335 ]

career statistics [edit ]

clubhouse [edit ]

Season

Club

League

Cup

Continental

Other

Total

Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals

Padova
1991–92
Serie B

4
0
0
0
—
—
4
0

1992–93

10
1
0
0
—
—
10
1

Total
14
1
0
0
—
—
14
1

Juventus
1993–94
Serie A

11
5
1
0
2
0
—
14
5

1994–95

29
8
10
1
11
2
—
50
11

1995–96

29
6
2
1
11
6
1
0
43
13

1996–97

22
8
4
0
6
4
3
3
35
15

1997–98

32
21
4
1
10
10
1
0
47
32

1998–99

8
2
1
0
4
0
1
1
14
3

1999–2000

34
9
2
1
9
2
—
45
12

2000–01

25
9
2
0
6
0
—
33
9

2001–02

32
16
4
1
10
4
—
46
21

2002–03

24
16
0
0
13
5
1
2
38
23

2003–04

22
8
4
3
4
3
1
0
31
14

2004–05

30
14
1
0
10
3
—
41
17

2005–06

33
12
4
5
7
3
1
0
45
20

2006–07

Serie B

35
20
2
3
—
—
37
23

2007–08

Serie A

37
21
4
3
—
—
41
24

2008–09

31
13
3
2
9
6
—
43
21

2009–10

23
9
1
2
5
0
—
29
11

2010–11

33
8
2
0
10
3
—
45
11

2011–12

23
3
5
2
—
—
28
5

Total

513
208
56
25
127
51
9
6
705
290

Sydney FC
2012–13
A-League

24
14
—
—
—
24
14

2013–14

24
10
—
—
—
24
10

Total

48
24
—
—
—
48
24

Delhi Dynamos
2014
Indian Super League

10
1
—
—
—
10
1

Career total

585
234
56
25
127
51
9
6
777
316

International [edit ]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
Italy national team

Year
Apps
Goals

1995

7
1

1996

4
2

1997

6
4

1998

8
3

1999

2
0

2000

13
4

2001

6
3

2002

11
5

2003

4
2

2004

6
1

2005

4
0

2006

9
2

2007

5
0

2008

6
0

Total

91
27

International goals

Scores and results list Italy’s goal tally first.

Records [edit ]

Honours [edit ]

baseball club [edit ]

Juventus [ 348 ] Senior squad
Primavera squad

International [edit ]

Italy [ 348 ]

individual [edit ]

Orders [edit ]

fifth Class/Knight : Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana : 2000 [ 3 ] fourth Class/Officer : Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana : 2006 [ 4 ] CONI : Golden Collar of Sports Merit : 2006 [ 373 ]

Notes [edit ]

^ not including the 2004–05 and 2005–06 titles, which were revoked following the Calciopoli scandal .

References [edit ]

bibliography [edit ]

Refini, Maurizio (1998). Il campione. Alessandro Del Piero l’aquila con i piedi per terra [The champion. Alessandro Del Piero, the eagle with his feet on the ground] (in Italian). Limina. ISBN 88-86713-39-8.
Giansanti, Gianni (2002). Semplicemente Del Piero [Simply Del Piero] (in Italian). Logos. ISBN 88-7940-175-0.
Civati, Giuseppe (2004). Il segreto di Alex [Alex’s secret] (in Italian). Limina. ISBN 88-88551-94-8.
Franzelli, Marco (2006). Lo sberleffo di Godot. Il ritorno di Alessandro Del Piero [Godot’s grimace. The return of Alessandro Del Piero] (in Italian). Limina. ISBN 88-6041-015-0.
Bernardi, Bruno (2006). Pinturicchio. La favola di Alessandro Del Piero [Pincuricchio. The fable of Alessandro Del Piero] (in Italian). Graphot. ISBN 88-89509-29-5.
Del Piero, Alessandro (2007). 10+ Il Mio Mondo in un Numero [10+ My World in a Number] (in Italian). Mondadori. ISBN 978-88-04-55986-3.
Savino, Roberto (2011). Alex Del Piero. Minuto per minuto [Alex Del Piero. Minute by minute] (in Italian). Castelvecchi. ISBN 978-88-7615-577-2.
Del Piero, Alessandro (2012). Giochiamo ancora [Let’s play some more] (in Italian). Mondadori. ISBN 978-88-04-62115-7.
Bartolomeo, Ruggiero (2012). GeniAle. L’album di Alessandro Del Piero [Ingenious. The album of Alessandro Del Piero] (in Italian). Libreria Sportiva Eraclea. ISBN 978-88-88771-36-6.
Del Piero, Alessandro (2018). Detto tra noi [Between ourselves] (in Italian). Mondadori. ISBN 978-88-04-70701-1.