Alessandro Del Piero
 |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Alessandro Del Piero |
| Date of birth |
(1974-11-09) 9 November 1974 (age 37) |
| Place of birth |
Conegliano, Italy |
| Height |
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] |
| Playing position |
Second striker |
| Club information |
| Current club |
Juventus |
| Number |
10 |
| Youth career |
| 1982–1988 |
San Vendemiano |
| 1988–1993 |
Padova |
| 1993–1994 |
Juventus |
| Senior career* |
| Years |
Team |
Apps† |
(Gls)† |
| 1991–1993 |
Padova |
14 |
(1) |
| 1993–2012 |
Juventus |
513 |
(208) |
| National team |
| 1991 |
Italy U-17 |
3 |
(1) |
| 1993–1996 |
Italy U-21 |
11 |
(3) |
| 1995–2008 |
Italy |
91 |
(27) |
|
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 May 2012.
† Appearances (Goals).
|
Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro del ˈpjɛːro]) Ufficiale OMRI[2][3] (born 9 November 1974 in Conegliano, Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Juventus. He will be a free agent from 30 June 2012. Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations.[4] Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses, and advertising revenue.[5]
Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct[6][7] he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.[8] http://www.channel4. May com/sport/football_italia/sep3q.html Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "trequartista" position. Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching."[9] His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded.[10] Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special "Del Piero Zone"("Gol alla Del Piero"), approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.[11]
Del Piero holds the all-time goalscoring record at Juventus.[12] On 6 April 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time highest-capped Juventus player, ahead of Juventus legend Gaetano Scirea. As of May 2012, he is in ninth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records[13] and joint fourth with Roberto Baggio within the Italian national team records.[14]
Del Piero is the son of Gino, an electrician, and Bruna, a housekeeper.[9] 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 eventually manage to do so.[15] Alessandro's older brother, Stefano, briefly played professional football for Sampdoria before injury struck him. The family lived in the hamlet of Saccon, a rural home in San Vendemiano. While growing up, Del Piero's family did not have much money for travelling abroad, so he considered being a lorry driver in order to see the world.[16]
While playing for the local youth team of San Vendemiano since the age of seven,[17] Del Piero used to play as a goalkeeper because he could play a lot more football that way. His mother thought it would be better for him if he played as a goalkeeper since he would not sweat and the possibility of him getting injured was less likely. His brother Stefano told their mother, "Don't you see that Alex is good in the attack?" and Del Piero switched position.[18]
It was while playing with his local side of San Vendemiano in 1988 that Del Piero was first spotted by scouts — he left home at the young age of 13 to play in the youth side of Padova.[19]
In 1993, he transferred to Juventus, and has been there ever since.[20] Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia in September 1993, scored his first goal in his next game against Reggiana after appearing as a substitute, and then grabbed a hat-trick against Parma on his first start. Juventus claimed their first Scudetto in eight years in his first season and success continued to follow. With the Turin club, he won the Serie A championship eight times (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2012[21]), the Champions League (1996), and the Intercontinental Cup (1996). His best season was in 1997–98, when he scored 21 goals in Serie A and finished top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals, which included a peach of a freekick against AS Monaco in the semi-finals. His goal in the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final, however, was unable to prevent Juventus from going down 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund.
Del Piero struggled for form at the beginning of the 1998–99 season, whilst doping allegations were aimed at Juventus (they were later found innocent). In October, he picked up a serious knee injury in the 2–2 draw with Udinese. This kept him out of action for the remainder of the season. Juventus struggled without him and limped home to a lowly sixth place in the league.
During this time, Del Piero earned the nickname "Il Pinturicchio," in reference to a comment by former president Gianni Agnelli when he compared the emerging Del Piero to the renaissance artist Pinturicchio.[9] He's also been nicknamed by the fans "Il Fenomeno Vero"[22] meaning "The Real Phenomenon," in a sort of comparison with Ronaldo, who was nicknamed "Il Fenomeno" by rival supporters of Internazionale.
One of Del Piero's greatest strengths as a footballer is his versatility, which allows him to play in a variety of attacking positions. While he started his club career playing as an out-and-out striker, he settled into a deeper role as a support-striker. He has also been positioned as a playmaker in the central slot behind the forwards. Under Marcello Lippi's reign as Juventus coach, Del Piero played in the "trident-attack" formation along with veterans Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli. After that, he took a role in a combination with Zinedine Zidane behind Filippo Inzaghi. As Juve's playing style changed in Lippi's second stint with Juventus starting in 2001, Del Piero partnered with Zidane's replacement, Pavel Nedvěd, in midfield and David Trezeguet upfront.
After UEFA Euro 2004, Marcello Lippi was replaced by Fabio Capello as Juventus coach. Capello was not convinced of Del Piero's abilities and frequently benched him in favour of new signing Zlatan Ibrahimović, much to the disappointment of many fans. But Del Piero still managed to score 14 goals as Juventus won their 28th league title, thanks to his spectacular overhead assist to teammate David Trezeguet which proved decisive in a crucial match against Milan at the San Siro.
Del Piero playing for Juventus in September 2006 against
Rimini, during the 2006–07 Serie B season
Experts agree that Del Piero was back to his best in the 2005–06 season[23] having scored 20 goals in all competitions. His role at Juventus, however, changed in the following season, as coach Fabio Capello preferred to use him as a substitute for an "immediate impact," as Capello put it.[19] Del Piero never had a calm relation with Fabio Capello though, evident from the quote on his official site, saying, "If Capello had stayed as coach of Juventus, I would have left Juventus."
In 2006, Del Piero equalled José Altafini's Serie A record of six goals as a substitute after scoring in the final minute of Juventus' final game of the 2005–06 season. On 10 January 2006, Del Piero became the all time leading goalscorer for Juventus when he scored three times in a Coppa Italia match against Fiorentina and took his total goals for the club to 185. The previous record holder was Giampiero Boniperti, who scored 182 goals for the club.[12] Del Piero scored the last goal for Juventus in the 2005–06 season before Juve were forcibly relegated due to the infamous Calciopoli scandal.
Juventus were demoted to Serie B and their last two Scudetti were revoked (see 2006 Italian football scandal). Del Piero announced that he would stay to captain the team in Serie B. He underlined that players should stick with the team, explaining that “The Agnelli family deserve this, as do the fans and the new directors."[24] While many key players such as Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson, Gianluca Zambrotta, Patrick Viera, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Lilian Thuram left Turin, Del Piero chose to stay and help Juve regain promotion.
Del Piero's first appearance after the 2006 World Cup triumph was in the Coppa Italia match against Cesena on 23 August 2006. Since Juventus played in Serie B for the 2006–07 season, the Coppa Italia campaign became increasingly important for the club in order to achieve a UEFA Cup spot. Having been on vacation beforehand, Del Piero started on the bench. Juventus and Cesena were locked on 1–1 when Del Piero entered in the 74th minute and after nine seconds scored the winning goal for Juventus.[25]
Del Piero then came in as a substitute at the 61st minute for Juve's next Coppa Italia match on 27 August against Napoli. Again Juventus were behind, but Del Piero scored twice to give Juve the lead. In the end, the match went to penalties. Del Piero scored but Napoli eventually won 5–4 in the penalty shoot-out.[26]
Following this, Del Piero was locked in months of fractious negotiations over the signing of a new contract with Juventus' new management. After successfully negotiating a new contract till 30 June 2010, he was greeted with news of the birth of his first child, Tobias Del Piero. This was quite a staggering turnaround in his fortunes, as only two weeks earlier, he was dropped by Claudio Ranieri for the Serie A match with Fiorentina and was then axed from Roberto Donadoni’s Italy squad 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 a Serie A victory at home to Roma, which finished 1–0. He scored two goals away at Lazio and was named to two consecutive Serie A teams of the week. On 6 April 2008, he set a new appearance record for Juventus, overtaking Gaetano Scirea's previous tally of 552 matches in all competitions.[27] In April, he registered seven goals in five Serie A matches, including a hat-trick in a 4–0 away win over Atalanta.
On the final weekend of the 2007–08 season, Del Piero scored a brace against Sampdoria in a 3–3 draw. These two goals were crucial as it took him to 21 goals for the season, thus winning him the Capocannonieri prize in Serie A for the first time in his illustrious career, beating the likes of David Trezeguet (20 goals) and Marco Borriello (19 goals) and matching his highest tally for a top-flight season since 1997–98.[28] 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 the other (coincidentally, Rossi also 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.
During the 2008–09 summer pre-season, Juventus played Hamburger SV and Arsenal in the Emirates Cup, and played a friendly against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Juventus manager, Claudio Ranieri, remarked that Del Piero would have as good 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 is 40 years old.
With Juventus back in the Champions League, they were drawn into the same group as former winners Real Madrid and UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint Petersburg. Del Piero marked their return with a brilliant match-winning free kick to seal a home win against Zenit.[29] On 21 October, he scored a wonderful first-time strike from distance as Juve defeated Real Madrid in Turin.[30] On 21 October, he scored in Juve's Champions League match at home against the Spanish club. In the fifth minute, from open play, Del Piero swerved the ball in the far corner of the goal with a freekick like shot, giving goalkeeper Iker Casillas no chance, with Amauri scoring the second in the first few minutes of the second half.
On 5 November 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off at Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League. The Italians won 2–0, their first away win against Madrid since 1962, and Del Piero was a key performer, scoring both the goals and being praised by both Claudio Ranieri and Madrid coach Bernd Schuster.[31] As he left the pitch after being substituted, "fans from both sides gave him a standing ovation."[32] Juventus' 2009 Champions League campaign ended in disappointment, however, as they were eliminated by Chelsea in the second round. Despite converting a penalty in the second leg in Turin, Del Piero was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3–2 on aggregate.
In the league, Juventus were mostly challenging Milan for second place and an automatic Champions League place. Most notably, Del Piero inspired the Bianconeri to a 3–0 win over Siena in their penultimate game of the season, scoring a brace and setting up Claudio Marchisio for the youngster's third goal of the season to end their run of seven winless matches in Serie A. Juve won 2–0 over Lazio to finish second ahead of Milan (based on their head-to-head record).
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 club with which he started his professional career.[33] During his renewal, he said, “I am happy at Juventus and we are competitive. I want to keep playing for as long as I can and I’m certain that for at least two more years I will be at the top level.” He marked his 445th Serie A appearance, breaking the all-time club record, with a brace against Genoa on 14 February 2010. He is also currently the all-time top scorer for Juventus, having scored more than 250 goals in all competitions. He has also made over 600 appearances in official matches for the club, breaking the record of Gaetano Scirea who had 552 appearances for Juventus.
On 14 March 2010, Del Piero recorded his 300th and 301st career goal during a 3–3 draw with Siena with the first two goals at the second and seventh minute. On 30 October 2010, he recorded his 179th Serie A goal, breaking the record of club legend Giampiero Boniperti as Juventus' top scorer in Serie A and further cementing his status as the most prolific goalscorer in Juventus history.
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. Del Piero remains the third most capped player in the Serie A, behind Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti, respectively. On 5 May 2011, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at the Juventus Arena. His previous deal was due to expire on 30 June 2011.[34]
On 24 May 2011, Del Piero and Juventus played against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a friendly match being former England defender Gary Neville's testimonial match. Del Piero was substituted after 65 minutes to a standing ovation from the United supporters. Juventus confirmed on 18 October 2011 that the 2011–12 season would be Del Piero's last with the club.[35] The 2011–12 season under new manager Antonio Conte, his former teammate at Juve, saw Del Piero being used sparingly because of the summer arrival of Mirko Vučinić from Roma. He scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on 24 January 2012 in the 3–0 win over Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.[36] Del Piero has stated that he was surprised at Juventus president Andrea Agnelli's announcement regarding his contract and that he was surprised to not be offered a new contract[37].
In the second leg of Juventus's clash with Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Del Piero finished off a brilliant move by Juve as they secured a 2–2 draw on the night and progressed to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win.[38] On 25 March, Del Piero helped Juventus defeat Internazionale by scoring the second goal in a 2–0 victory, his first goal of the Serie A season.[39] In Juventus's match against Lazio on 11 April, Del Piero replaced strike partner Mirko Vučinić in the second half and then went on to score a fantastic free kick to earn his side a 2–1 victory and return the Old Lady to the top of the Serie A table.[40]
On 13 May, Del Piero started Juventus's final league game of the season against Atalanta, marking the occasion by scoring a goal.[41] Twenty-seven minutes into the match, del Piero picked the ball up on the edge of the penalty box and placed a shot past Giorgio Frezzolini to make the score 2–0 and help Juventus clinch an undefeated Serie A season.[42] He would be substituted off after 59 minutes to an emotional response from both sets of players and supporters. This would be Alessandro Del Piero's final Serie A appearance for Juventus.[43][44] Following his departure, the Juventus board were understood to be keen to retire Del Piero's number 10 jersey as a tribute to his efforts and accomplishments during a decorated 18-year career. However, Del Piero, did not want to see his number withdrawn from service.[45] Del Piero's final match for the Bianconeri was in the Coppa Italia Final on 20 May against Napoli, Del Piero was subbed off in the 67th minute for Mirko Vučinić as his Juventus career came to an end in a 2-0 defeat.[46][47]
Del Piero confirmed that after his 19 year spell with Juventus that he did not plan to retire with many offers from abroad, including the Premier League and MLS touted as possible destinations.[48]
Del Piero is currently Italy's fourth all-time leading scorer. His tournament debut was UEFA Euro 1996, but made his only appearance in the first half of a match against Russia before being substituted at half-time. Del Piero competed with fan favourite Roberto Baggio for a spot on the 1998 FIFA World Cup final roster while struggling to recover from injury suffered during the 1998 Champions League final with Juventus. He also missed two gilt-edged chances in Italy's 2–1 loss to France in the Euro 2000 final.
He returned to the international scene in the 2002 World Cup after a season in Serie A in which Juventus won the Scudetto.[49] Del Piero scored the decisive goal against Hungary, which sealed the Azzurri's qualification for the finals.[50] He instantly scored with a header against Mexico after coming on as a substitute, a goal which saved Italy from the ignominy of a first round exit. The goal sent Italy through to the second round, where they were eliminated by a golden goal in a controversial match against South Korea.[51][52]
Del Piero after the semi-final against
Germany.
Del Piero began the 2006 World Cup on the bench, appearing in two out of three group stage matches, and made his first start of the competition in a 1–0 round of 16 win over Australia on 26 June. On 4 July, Del Piero entered as a substitute near the end of regulation and scored Italy's second goal in a 2–0 semi-final win over host Germany.[53] In the final against France, which ended 1–1 after extra time, Del Piero scored a penalty in the shootout as Italy won the tournament for the fourth time. He admitted afterwards that winning the World Cup was his childhood dream.[54]
As of 2008, Del Piero has captained Italy seven times (including during UEFA Euro 2008). He also regularly wore the #10 shirt, but later gave it to Francesco Totti and switched to #7, as it was the first number he wore at the start of his career. Even though the #10 shirt was vacated after Totti retired from the national team in July 2007, Del Piero denied any interest in taking back the number, saying he was satisfied with #7. In May, he was recalled by popular demand to Italy's UEFA Euro 2008 squad after nine-month absence from international duty, and thus became the second Italian player to participate in seven major international tournaments (Euro 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008; World Cup 1998, 2002, 2006).
Del Piero was called up to Italy's squad for the Euro 2008 championship in Austria and Switzerland. He was mostly on the substitutes' bench but started against Romania as the squad's captain. In the group match against the Dutch, he came on for the under-performing Antonio Di Natale and made an immediate impact, including several efforts on goal. He could not prevent the Azzurri, however, from a 3–0 loss. Italy qualified through the group stage in second-place behind the Netherlands, eliminating Romania and France. In the quarter-final against 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 shootout in which Spain won 4–2.[55] On 20 August 2008, he won his 90th cap for Italy in friendly against Austria, only the fifth Azzurri player to reach this landmark. Despite announcing that he will carry on playing until he is 40 years old, he has not been called up since Italy's qualifier against Georgia on 10 September 2008.
| Del Piero – goals for Italy |
| Goal |
Date |
Venue |
Opponent |
Score |
Result |
Competition |
| 1 |
15 November 1995 |
Stadio Giglio, Reggio Emilia, Italy |
 Lithuania |
1–0 |
4–0 |
Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2 |
24 January 1996 |
Stadio Libero Liberati, Terni, Italy |
 Wales |
1–0 |
3–0 |
Friendly |
| 3 |
29 May 1996 |
Stadio Giovanni Zini, Cremona, Italy |
 Belgium |
1–2 |
2–2 |
Friendly |
| 4 |
22 January 1997 |
Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy |
 Northern Ireland |
2–0 |
2–0 |
Friendly |
| 5 |
8 June 1997 |
Stade Gerland, Lyon, France |
 Brazil |
1–0 |
3–3 |
1997 Tournoi de France |
| 6 |
8 June 1997 |
Stade Gerland, Lyon, France |
Brazil |
3–1 |
3–3 |
1997 Tournoi de France |
| 7 |
11 June 1997 |
Parc des Princes, Paris, France |
 France |
2–2 |
2–2 |
1997 Tournoi de France |
| 8 |
28 January 1998 |
Stadio Angelo Massimino, Catania, Italy |
 Slovakia |
2–0 |
3–0 |
Friendly |
| 9 |
10 October 1998 |
Stadio Friuli, Udinese, Italy |
 Switzerland |
1–0 |
2–0 |
Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 10 |
10 October 1998 |
Stadio Friuli, Udinese, Italy |
Switzerland |
2–0 |
2–0 |
Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 11 |
23 February 2000 |
Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy |
 Sweden |
1–0 |
1–0 |
Friendly |
| 12 |
19 June 2000 |
Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands |
Sweden |
2–1 |
2–1 |
Euro 2000 |
| 13 |
11 October 2000 |
Stadio del Conero, Ancona, Italy |
 Georgia |
1–0 |
2–0 |
2002 World Cup qualification |
| 14 |
11 October 2000 |
Stadio del Conero, Ancona, Italy |
Georgia |
2–0 |
2–0 |
2002 World Cup qualification |
| 15 |
28 March 2001 |
Stadio Nereo Rocco, Trieste, Italy |
Lithuania |
2–0 |
4–0 |
2002 World Cup qualification |
| 16 |
28 March 2001 |
Stadio Nereo Rocco, Trieste, Italy |
Lithuania |
4–0 |
4–0 |
2002 World Cup qualification |
| 17 |
6 October 2001 |
Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy |
 Hungary |
1–0 |
1–0 |
2002 World Cup qualification |
| 18 |
13 February 2002 |
Stadio Angelo Massimino, Catania, Italy |
 United States |
1–0 |
1–0 |
Friendly |
| 19 |
13 June 2002 |
Ōita Stadium, Ōita Stadium, Japan |
 Mexico |
1–1 |
1–1 |
2002 World Cup |
| 20 |
7 September 2002 |
Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan |
 Azerbaijan |
0–2 |
0–2 |
Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 21 |
12 October 2002 |
Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy |
 Yugoslavia |
1–1 |
1–1 |
Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 22 |
16 October 2002 |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |
Wales |
1–1 |
2–1 |
Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 23 |
11 June 2003 |
Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland |
 Finland |
0–2 |
0–2 |
Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 24 |
6 September 2003 |
San Siro, Milan, Italy |
Wales |
4–0 |
4–0 |
Euro 2004 qualifying |
| 25 |
8 September 2004 |
Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, Moldova |
 Moldova |
0–1 |
0–1 |
2006 World Cup qualification |
| 26 |
1 March 2006 |
Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy |
 Germany |
4–1 |
4–1 |
Friendly |
| 27 |
4 July 2006 |
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany |
Germany |
0–2 |
0–2 |
2006 World Cup |
Del Piero is married to Sonia Amoruso, and the two have been together since 1999 and married in 2005.[57] The couple announced in July 2007 that they were expecting their first baby.[57] On 22 October 2007, Amoruso gave birth to baby boy Tobias at 0:20 at Sant'Anna hospital in Turin.[58][59] On 14 February 2009, Amoruso's second pregnancy was announced.[60] On 5 May 2009 their daughter Dorotea was born in Turin.[61] On 12 September 2010, Del Piero announced on his personal website the upcoming birth of his third child.[62] The Del Pieros welcomed son Sasha on 27 December of that year.
Del Piero has used his fame and money to promote and support cancer research; in recognition of this, he has received from the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro a prize of "Believe in Research" in November 2006.[63]
When the Olympic Flame for the 2006 Winter Olympics passed through Turin, Del Piero was a torchbearer.[64] He has an interest in sports outside of football, particularly basketball, and in turn has gained fans outside of just football, sport icons such as National Basketball Association (NBA) star Steve Nash and cycling legend Eddy Merckx have stated that they are fans of Del Piero.[65][66]
As well as an interest in other sports, Del Piero also has a keen interest in music. He has even recorded some albums of his own.[67] Along with Marco Materazzi, Del Piero appeared on stage at a Rolling Stones show in Milan shortly after Italy's World Cup win.[68] He is a good friend of musician and singer Noel Gallagher and a fan of his former band Oasis. Del Piero appears in the Oasis video "Lord Don't Slow Me Down".[69]
On 9 February 2009, it was reported that Del Piero was suing the social networking site Facebook over a fake profile bearing his name that links to Nazi propaganda sites. He was said to be aggrieved that the bogus account, which carries his picture, implies neo-Nazi sympathies as he did not have a Facebook profile at that time.[70]
Besides scoring goals, Del Piero is also known for his sense of humour and is a popular guest at Italian comedy shows such as Paperissima and Striscia la notizia. His goal celebration usually consists of him running to the touchline in front of Juve fans sticking his tongue out and has done the back-flip goal celebration on several occasions. He featured in the show La sai l'ultima di Totti, a comedy sketch created by his good friend and Roma captain Francesco Totti where the two of them and national teammates Milan defender Alessandro Nesta and Juve teammate Gianluigi Buffon would tell jokes about one another.
On TV, Del Piero is famous not just for his matches, but also for broadcasting and advertising skills. He is under contract with German sports equipment manufacturer Adidas, with Uliveto water, Italian car manufacturer Fiat, and Japanese motorbike company Suzuki. In 2006, he appeared in a television commercial for the Japanese motor scooter Suzuki Burgman together with the sports agent Andreas Goller.[71]
Del Piero was also featured on the cover of EA Sports' FIFA Football 2004 video game alongside Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho. He was one of the two stars featured on the cover of the Italian version of PES 2010 video game, the other being FC Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi.[72]
In February 2012, it was reported that a 12-year old girl has been woken from a 15-day coma by the soothing voice of her idol, Del Piero.[73]
A commemorative shirt, celebrating Del Piero's 500th Juventus appearance
- As of 20 May 2012.[74]
| 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 |
| Professional career totals |
| Teams |
Appearances |
Goals |
Goals per game |
| Clubs |
719 |
290 |
0.4 |
| National team |
091 |
027 |
0.3 |
| Total |
810 |
317 |
0.39 |
- Juventus
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up: 1994–95
- Serie A (6): 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12 (also won in 2004–05 & 2005–06, but removed from Juventus due to calciopoli)
- Coppa Italia (1): 1994–95. Runner-up: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2011–12
- Supercoppa Italiana (4): 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003. Runner-up: 1998, 2005
- UEFA Champions League (1): 1995–96. Runner-up: 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03
- UEFA Super Cup (1): 1996
- Intercontinental Cup (1): 1996
- UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1999
- Serie B (1): 2006–07
- Italy
|
|
- Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer (289 goals)
- Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer Champions League (44)
- Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer UEFA Competitions (52)
- Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer International competitions (53)
- Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer in the Italian championships (208)
- Juventus All-Time Leading Scorer Italian Super Cup (3)
- Juventus All-Time appearances holder Serie A: (478)
- Juventus All-Time appearances holder in the UEFA club competitions: (129)
- Juventus All-Time appearances holder in international competitions: (130)
- Juventus All-Time appearances leader (705)
- Latest goal from kickoff in a FIFA World Cup match (121st minute)
- Most Participations in UEFA European Championships (4) (Tied with 5 others)
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5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000[2]
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Collar of Merit Sports: 2006[75]
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4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006[3]
- ^ "Juventus profile". Juventus.com. http://www.juventus.com/juve/en/campo/giocatori-e-staff/prima/giocatori/010delpiero. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana Sig. Alessandro Del Piero" Retrieved 26 May 2012
- ^ a b "Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana Sig. Alessandro Del Piero" Retrieved 26 May 2012
- ^ "Fifa names greatest list". BBC. 4 March 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/3533833.stm. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ FindArticles.com[dead link]
- ^ "Two awards for Alex". Juventus. 10 May 2006. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/20071014055024/http://juventus.com/uk/news/detail.aspx?lml_language_id=0&trs_id=1370000&ID=7782.
- ^ "Comunicato Stampa" (PDF) Retrieved 26 May 2012
- ^ Gilbert, Dan (22 July 2009). "Channel4.com". Channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sep3q.html. Retrieved 13 June 2010. [dead link]
- ^ a b c "Seeking glory in blue shirt". Sportstar. 1 April 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20081223232336/http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss2913/stories/20060401008303200.htm. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "7 Alessandro Del Piero". Worldcup365.com. 25 May 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061119214434/http://www.worldcup365.com/profile/0,16726,8362_994157,00.html. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ Gilbert, Dan (22 July 2009). "Calcio Italia 150 issue, Calcio Icons, Del Piero". Channel4.com. http://web.archive.org/web/20090104150909/http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/150issue/delpieroicon.html. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Del Piero sets Juve scoring record". People's Daily Online. 12 January 2006. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200601/12/eng20060112_234765.html. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Champions Cup / Champions League Topscorers". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/ec/ec1tops.html#overall. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Top goalscorers" (in Italian). FIGC. http://www.figc.it/nazionali/Marcatori. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Le luci di Del Piero". Raisport.rai.it. 28 June 2001. http://www2.raisport.rai.it/news/sport/calcio/200106/28/3b3b488301d3a/. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Buzzle.com". Buzzle.com. 26 March 2006. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-26-2006-91932.asp. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Del Piero profile". Kicker.de. http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/wm/spielplan/spielersteckbrief/object/22317/saison/2006. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Del Piero biografie" (in Italian). ItBiografie.com. http://web.archive.org/web/20060715145522/http://itbiografie.com/biografie/Alessandro%20Del%20Piero-1399.html. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Del Piero an ace at icing Juventus cake" The International Herald Tribune. 14 February 2006
- ^ "Festa per il capitano Del Piero" (in Italian). La Stampa. 12 September 2010. http://www3.lastampa.it/sport/sezioni/quijuve/articolo/lstp/322452/.
- ^ 2005 & 2006 Scudetti were revoked due to calciopoli
- ^ "Alex Del Piero Fenomeno Vero" (in Italian). Eurocalcio News. http://www.kom.it/eurocalcio/dbase/200.html. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ FindArticles.com[dead link]
- ^ Gilbert, Dan (22 July 2009). "Channel4.com". Channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/aug10i.html. Retrieved 13 June 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Juventus 2-1 al Cesena" (in Italian) Juventus.com. 23 August 2006
- ^ "Napoli – Juventus, 3-3 a.e.t. (Napoli win 5-4 on penalties)" Juventus.com. 28 August 2006
- ^ (Italian) Serie A – Donadoni, Del Piero merita la Nazionaleit.eurosport.yahoo.com – Retrieved on 8 January 2008
- ^ (Italian) Samp-Juve show Super Del Piero è il re del gol sur gazzettadellosport.it – Retrieved on 8 January 2008
- ^ (Italian) Del Piero è infinito. Lo Zenit si arrende gazzettadellosport.it – Retrieved on 8 January 2008
- ^ (Italian) Del Piero-Amauri in gol. La Juve risorge, Real k.o. gazzettadellosport.it – Retrieved on 8 January 2008
- ^ Molinaro, John F. (7 November 2008). "CBC News – A class act". Cbc.ca. http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/11/07/f-real-madrid-fans.html. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ (Italian) Ale incanta il Bernabeu. La Juve è già qualificata gazzettadellosport.it – Retrieved on 8 January 2008
- ^ Gilbert, Dan (22 July 2009). "The Platform4 blog – Football Italia’s going home". Channel4.com. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/jul17m.html. Retrieved 13 June 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Del Piero renews contract at new stadium!". Juventus FC. 5 May 2011. http://www.juventus.com/wps/portal/en/news/5maggio2011_DP_RINNOVO/. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ^ "Juve not retaining Del Piero". Sky Sports. 18 October 2011. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_7249158,00.html.
- ^ "Match report: Juventus 3 Roma 0". ESPN Soccernet. 24 January 2012. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/match/_/id/336404?cc=5901.
- ^ "Del Piero surprised at Agnelli's refusal to grant him Juventus extension". Goal.com. 17 April 2012. http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2012/04/17/3042533/del-piero-surprised-at-agnellis-refusal-to-grant-him.
- ^ "Report: Juve 2 Milan 2". ESPN Soccernet. 20 March 2012. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/337683?cc=5901.
- ^ "Report: Juve 2 Inter 0". ESPN Soccernet. 25 March 2012. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=326919&cc=5901.
- ^ "Report: Juve 2 Lazio 1". Goal.com. 11 April 2012. http://www.goal.com/en/match/65004/juventus-vs-lazio/report.
- ^ "Festa Scudetti per la Juventus" (in Italian). legaseriea.it. 13 May 2012. http://www.legaseriea.it/it/sala-stampa/archivio-dettaglio/-/news/FESTA_SCUDETTO_PER_LA_JUVENTUS/662818.
- ^ "Decorated veterans score on final bows". ESPN Soccernet. 13 May 2012. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1069370/serie-a:-decorated-veterans-del-piero,-inzaghi-score-on-final-bows?cc=5901.
- ^ "Report: Juve 3 Atalanta 1". ESPN Soccernet. 13 May 2012. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/326825?cc=5901.
- ^ "Del Piero & Inzaghi wave goodbye as winners in fairytale ending". Goal.com. 13 May 2012. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3276/serie-a/2012/05/13/3100354/del-piero-inzaghi-wave-goodbye-as-winners-in-fairytale.
- ^ "Alessandro Del Piero against No 10 shirt retirement". inside World Soccer. 17 May 2012. http://www.insideworldsoccer.com/2012/05/alessandro-del-piero-no-10-shirt.html.
- ^ "Cavani and Hamsik clinch Coppa Italia and dash double dreams of Turin giants". Goal.com. 20 May 2012. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/78417/juventus-vs-napoli/report.
- ^ "Cup glory for Napoli". Sky Sports. 20 May 2012. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12961/7768322/Cup-glory-for-Napoli.
- ^ "Del Piero looks forward". Sky Sports. 21 May 2012. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11854/7769358/Del-Piero-looks-forward.
- ^ Juventus snatch dramatic title BBC Sport. 5 May 2002
- ^ "Italy 1 Hungary 0". FIGC. http://www.figc.it/nazionali/TabellinoGara?squadra=1&codiceGara=1808. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ Italy flop as Ahn's golden goal atones for penalty miss The Daily Telegraph. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 26 May 2012
- ^ South Korea 2-1 Italy - as it happened The Guardian. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 26 May 2012
- ^ "Del Piero's goal against Germany". Youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39zYaMf0AS0.
- ^ "SkySports.com". Home.skysports.com. http://home.skysports.com/worldcup/article.aspx?hlid=401808&plid=4175&clid=119&cpid=4. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (22 June 2008). "Spain 0–0 Italy (4–2 penalties)". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2008/7468465.stm. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Del Piero, dribbling sull'altare" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 13 June 2005. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie%20A/Primo%20Piano/2005/06-Giugno/13/delpierosposogiusto.shtml. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Del Piero, giorni d'oro E' nato il figlio Tobias" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2007/10_Ottobre/22/del_piero_figlio_2210.shtml. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ Congratulations, Captain! Juventus.com. 22 October 2007.
- ^ "Del Piero annuncia: "Sarò di nuovo papà"" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 14 February 2007. http://www.tuttosport.com/calcio/serie_a/juventus/2009/02/14-18261/Del+Piero+annuncia%3A+%C2%ABSar%C3%B2+di+nuovo+pap%C3%A0%C2%BB. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Del Piero papa" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 5 May 2009. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/SerieA/Juventus/05-05-2009/buffon-seredova-bis-50359750968.shtml. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Five of us" Official website. 12 September 2010.
- ^ "Premio Credere nella Ricerca" (in Italian). Sportwide. 24 November 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20110724081419/http://www.sportwide.net/airc06-delpiero.html. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Also Alex with the Olympic flame" Juventus.com. 10 February 2006
- ^ "FIFA World Cup @ Yahoo.com". Fifaworldcup.yahoo.com. http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060705/1/8lj6.html. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Del Piero, Italy's Stoical Substitute". Reuters. 13 June 2000. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/20091027162246/http://geocities.com/juventusfootball/news/archived00/061300.htm.
- ^ "InternetBookShop.it". InternetBookShop.it. 28 May 2010. http://www.internetbookshop.it/cd/ser/serdsp.asp?e=0828767896427. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones cover The White Stripes!". NME.com. 12 July 2006. http://www.nme.com/news/rolling-stones/23578. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ "Del Piero gets shirty with Noel". The Sun (London). 8 November 2008. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article1915523.ece. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "Footy star sues Facebook over fake fascist profile". The Register. 9 February 2009. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/09/del_piero_facebook_lawsuit/.
- ^ "Alessandro Del Piero Mr. Burgman". YouTube. 22 July 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzD6FNVtiVs. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Del Piero Confirmed as PES 2010 Italian Cover Star". Winningelevenblog.com. 16 July 2009. http://winningelevenblog.com/blog/del-piero-confirmed-as-pes-2010-italian-cover-star/. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Girl wakes up from coma after listening to Del Piero's voice". inside World Soccer. 12 February 2012. http://www.insideworldsoccer.com/2012/02/girl-wakes-up-from-coma-after-listening.html.
- ^ "Del Piero career stats on his official website". www.alessandrodelpiero.com. http://en.alessandrodelpiero.com/profile/my-number.html. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ Collar of Merit Sports Mr. Alessandro Del Piero
| Persondata |
| Name |
Del Piero, Alessandro |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Italian footballer |
| Date of birth |
9 November 1974 |
| Place of birth |
Conegliano, Italy |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
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![A-League 2012/13 Season - Weekly Highlights [Round 2]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121106002146im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VX52W7RaiT4/default.jpg "A-League 2012/13 Season - Weekly Highlights [Round 2]")
