The first year at Juventus
It’s 1993-1994 when an hopeful curly-haired youngster with an astonishing right-foot shot comes to Turin. The youth has already drawn the attention on himself at Padua, in the Primavera (youth team) as well as in the main team, despite his age. He’s got talent and President Giampiero Boniperti and coach Giovanni Trapattoni decide that that Alessandro Del Piero deserves being part of Juventus.
Being only 19, his place is in the Primavera team and thus Alex enters coach Cuccureddu’s squad, soon becoming their leader. It’s not easy, as that was the very team that would feed the main team with players like Cammarata, Manfredi, Binotti, but the pure talent of this young Veneto-born player emerges irresistibly and leads the Primavera to win a unique double target: the Viareggio Tournament and the youth league title. After all, it had been clear since the beginning of the season how the lad had something special: if Del Piero seemed an extraterrestrial compared to those of his same age, it only takes an autum week to see how he perfectly finds at ease with the “grown-up’s”.
On September 12th 1993, Alex makes his debut in Serie A at Foggia and in Europe three days later in the Uefa Cup match against Lokomotiv Moscow. On September 19th, at the Delle Alpi stadium, he scores the 4-0 goal in Juventus vs Reggiana, in an already solved match. This goal doesn’t seem very important, considering the final score. Actually, if you think of it now, it is the first chapter of a book that would re-write the Bianconeri history.
That goal scored against Fiorentina...
Alex’s second year at Juventus is characterized by remarkable changes, first of all inside the management: the club is managed by Vice President Roberto Bettega, Antonio Giraudo and Luciano Moggi, respectively Chief Executive and Director General. The President is Lawyer Vittorio Caissotti from Chiusano. The new management makes a bold choice straightaway, entrusting the team to Marcello Lippi, a young coach who had done well on Napoli and Atalanta benches but who was still an uncertainty with a top club.
The Viareggio-born coach loves unconventional football devoted to attack and, in the year of the introduction of the three-points per win, his choices turn out to be victorious. Del Piero had already drawn the attention on himself in the previous season, scoring five goals in fourteen appearances (Serie A and Cups), among which it’s worth mentioning the exciting hat trick of goals against Parma, and Roberto Baggio’s difficult physical conditions opens up new prospect for Alex. He’s only twenty-years old but he’s got personality and scores crucial goals. To give you an example, on December, 4th 1994, Fiorentina is leading 0-2.
Twenty minutes before the end of the match, Juventus wake up and triumph: Vialli scores two goals in three minutes’ time but it’s Del Piero who gives them the winning goal, with an epic action: with a soft touch on the volley, he kicked the ball with his right instep, beating a stunned Toldo with a drive from forty metres. A jewel, and it was not the only one: just one week later, Juventus are going to Rome to play a tough match against Lazio. The Biancoazzuri are a giant and Lippi has half of his side unavailable; however, Alex has got broad shoulders and he doesn’t have to be asked twice to lead the team: he scores twice, his first double in Serie A, and the final 3-4 gives the Bianconeri the lead of the table. They’ll remain on top until the end of the season, bringing the Scudetto back to Turin after nine years, winning Coppa Italia too and getting near to the Uefa title as well. An all-star squad, with Del Piero being already their most sparkling star.
On top of the world
Alex is already a hero for the fans and the club decides to lean on him without any hesitation; Roberto Baggio moves to Milan and from that time on No. 10 is stuck to Alex’s jersey forever. It is the champions’ number and Del Piero wears it with natural class, honouring it with his wonderful play, which takes the team to the mostly longed-for target: Champions League. It starts in Dortmund, against Borussia and Alex delights everyone: the Germans take the lead right away with former Juve player Moeller, the Bianconeri earn the draw soon after with Padovano.
The match is hard but the wonder boy from San Vendemmiano keeps in store a shot that is destined to go down in history: from the left top intersection of the penalty area markings, he drives a spinning shot that gets in between the far post and the crossbar, right into the top corner of the goal. It’s what will be known as the “Del Piero-like goal”, that he had already shown in Italy against Napoli but which becomes his International trademark after the European match against the Germans and repeated against Ranger Glasgow and Steaua Bucharest. His most precious goal arrives in the quarter-finals match: Juventus have to fight back from the 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid at Bernabeu and it takes Alex sixteen minutes to sort it out with a spiteful free kick which Canizares just cannot counter. Padovano will seal the result, paving them the way for the semi-finals against Nantes and opening up their way to triumph in Rome.
Juventus are the Lady of Europe and on November, 26th 1996 they become the queen of the world. The Intercontinental Cup is missing since 1985 among their trophies, since their win over Argentinos Junior which was achieved thanks to the penalty converted by Michel Platini. Once again, the Bianconeri will be face to face with the Argentines, those of little jewel Ortega’s River Plate. Journalists get carried away making comparisons between the South-American player and Del Piero and if you read those comparisons now they nearly sound blasphemous. It’s Alex who is crucial in solving the match, breaking through a small gap in the Argentine defence with his right-foot accuracy, at the very end of the full time, taking Juventus on top of the Olympus of world soccer.
Two more triumphant years
After only three years at Juventus, Alex has already conquered the following titles: one Champions League, one Italian Championship, one Italian Cup and one Italian Super Cup. And in the early months of the season 1996/1997, the spoils increase considerably thanks to the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup. The intended victims of an unbeatable Juventus are Paris Saint Germain who are defeated at home by 1-6 and again away by 3-1 in the second-leg match played in Palermo, where Del Piero gives his contribution with two goals. The Italian league is another triumphant march: only Parma, with players like Buffon, Cannavaro and Thuram, can keep pace with the Bianconeri but Juventus keep collecting points and playing spectacular matches, achieving their 24th Scudetto, Alex’s second one.
The season may be unforgettable but the second consecutive Champions League final has an unexpected end. Juventus meet Borussia Dortumund again, a team always beated in the previous few years; however, the Germans play a proud match in Munich and the masterful goal scored by Del Piero in the second half time doesn’t make the difference: a gem goal scored with a heeler that unfortunately is not enough to allow the Bianconeri to achieve the ‘perfect’ season. The following year, it’s history repeating: after winning the Italian Super Cup against Vicenza, Juventus get to their third consecutive Champions League final but they get defeated by Real Madrid in Amsterdam. But it’s another story in the home league: Inter try to counter them, with Ronaldo’s support, but the real ‘fenomeno’ is Alex who scores no less than 21 goals in 32 matches, one of the lastest against the very Inter in the crucial match at the Delle Alpi on April, 26th. A goal that gives Juve the Scudetto: the second in a row, the third for Del Piero.
The hardest moment
In the first four years of the partnership Del Piero-Lippi, Juventus win all the time and everything and the fifth season seems to start off on the right foot. The Bianconeri are firmly on top of the standings and are meeting Udinese on the 8th matchday; Zidane and Inzaghi score, storing away three more points and everything seems to go the right way. A few minutes before the end, Del Piero runs from the left and tries a cross shot but he gets tackled and he remains down on the ground. His left knee is gone: suffering a cruciate and collateral knee ligament damage, he will have to undergo surgery and be out for at least six months. His season is over. Juventus’s continues but it’s not the same without Alex. Problems seem to multiply and, after a home defeat against Parma, Lippi resigns. In February, the bench is assigned to Ancelotti who finds a team in difficulty. At this point, the championship is gone and the Champions League adventure ends against Manchester United, who are able to fight back at the Delle Alpi after going two-goals down thanks to Inzaghi.
It’s an unlucky season and the Bianconeri miss the qualification for the Uefa Cup as well. They’ll have to play the Intertoto to get back into the competition. And it’s during the summer of the Intertoto that Alex comes back on the pitch and regains his goals; however disappointment is not gone forever: the two following years are not as successful as expected. In the season 1999/2000, after topping the standings for months, Ancelotti’s squad see their dream of winning the title drown in the downpour at Perugia on the last matchday of the season. The following year, it will be coach Capello’s Roma to sew the shield on their jerseys. Juventus is not winning but Alex doesn’t stop and scores his 99th goal with the Juventus jersey. We’ll have to wait until season 2001/2002 to go down in history and get back on winning track, with Marcello Lippi’s comeback.
An unforgettable May 5th
The start of the season 2001/2002 shows a completely renewed Juventus, both on the playground and the bench: Inzaghi and Zidane leave and Buffon, Thuram and Nedved arrive, while coach Ancelotti makes way for Marcello Lippi. It’s a flying start: Venezia get to the Delle Alpi and they are overcome by the two goals scored by Trezeguet, who plays as first-choice, and the two of Alex’s who, with a single blow, achieves and overcomes an historic target: 100 goals with the Juventus jersey. At the end of the season, Del Piero’s goals in the Italian championship will be 16 and the last one will taste special: the last matchday of the season is scheduled at Udine.
The Bianconeri are second in the standings, one point behind Inter who are scheduled to play against Lazio at the Olimpico. It’s a thrilling afternoon: at Udine, Trezeguet scores after two minutes and Del Piero seals the result on 11’ minutes. The only thing left to do is wait and see what happens in Rome and the more news come out the more Juve get near to an historic feat. In the first half, Inter take the advantage twice and just as many times they get caught up, then, in the second half, they drop. The match at the Olimpico ends with Lazio winning by 4-2. Juventus are Italy’s Champions for the 26th time and Alex wins his fourth shield. The fifth comes the following year, after a triumphant march made precious by Alex’s 16 gems.
Juventus, who have conquered the Italian Super Cup in the summer, are doing great also in Europe. The Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid is memorable: the Merengues win by 2-1 at the Bernabeu but at the Delle Alpi the Bianconeri play one of their most amazing matches. On the 3-1 that paves them the way for the finals in Manchester, there is also Del Piero’s mark, as he scores the 2-0 goal thanks to one of his magic shots. Unfortunately the match against Milan at the Old Trafford turns out to be a bitter disappointment; a few months later, Juventus will take their revenge in the Italian Super Cup played in New York against the very Rossoneri and that will be the only trophy of the season, the last of the Lippi era.
The best of all time
This is recent history: after the second Lippi’s era, it’s time for Fabio Capello to sit on the Juventus bench; he has won everywhere and every time and he cannot but repeat himself leading Italy’s most successful team. Juventus get on top of the table since the first matchday of the championship and they are not getting down from up there, at least they can share the same place with Milan, until the final and crucial challenge at San Siro on May, 8th. And it’s in that very match that all of Alex’s charisma and talent comes up: Juventus win thanks to Trezeguet’s goal but the best player of the match is the Captain and it’s the very him who beautifully serves David with a spectacular overhead kick which the Frenchman drives in and scores. It’s important to underline that gesture as Alex is not only a goalscorer but also a player who’s able to work for the team and if he doesn’t score it’s often him who helps his teammates to do so. This is a quality that you won’t find in the figures but it is just as precious as the extraordinary sense of goal of Juventus best goalscorer of all time: Captain Alessandro Del Piero.
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