Del Piero joins Sydney for two years
"The whole of Australia is counting on me"
Ale has signed the contract: "There is a global project that involves the whole of the country, not just the team I'll be playing for. I needed a radical change. That is why I turned down the Premier League". Juve: "Last season was rather complicated, but I will always be a fan of the Bianconeri". His old club wished him good luck on twitter
Alessandro Del Piero has signed. He is now officially a Sydney FC player. Ale had already said goodbye to Juve. Now he is saying goodbye to Italy. Insigne, for whom he is an idol, would have asked him to wear a Napoli shirt. Giovinco is taking over where he left off for the Bianconeri. He said goodbye, or more probably 'be seeing you', to Turin and his country. And then he left. Not like an emigrant in search of a better life. Nor like a champion in search of money. Yes, he has a lucrative contract: a two-year contract at €1.6 million a year, which will make him the highest-paid player in the A-League. But above all he will be leaving to discover another culture, another lifestyle, another football. And he will be the ambassador of this football. And that is why he has chosen Australia.
his first words — "This is a special day for me. I am happy to announce that I have signed an agreement with Sydney – for the next two years I will be Australian. I am about to begin a wonderful, amazing, truly special adventure, and I have to admit that at the end of this long journey I could not have ended up in a better place. What has happened is important for me and I am happy to be able to begin this adventure".
project — "I am going to be involved in a project I would never have expected. There again I did not expect to be contacted by many of the clubs that came after me and I would like to thank all of them. There were contacts from every continent and it was great fun letting my imagination run from one place to another. But I have made my leap. And now I feel very strong and contrasting emotions, given that I have never changed clubs. And this is an important change, a long way off in terms of the distance, but very close in terms of philosophy. I begin this adventure with just one desire. The project has been built around me. I am going to a country which everyone has told me is fantastic, to a city which everyone says is beautiful. One of the questions I asked was whether we could win and they told me we could. We also spoke about fitness as I still feel 100% an athlete. But the decision was taken above all with my family and I am happy about that".
australia — "I feel so many different things at the moment, but they all make me want to begin this adventure. And I will face it with the enthusiasm of someone who has discovered something new. It is a really exciting adventure. I hope and in some ways I am certain that we will live this adventure together. I really want to see what it's like playing in a country that is amazingly modern in its approach to sports. I will do my best to help Australian football develop also thanks to the advice I give. I hope that the Australians and the many Italians who live there will enjoy themselves and that football can become a leading national sport".
the future — "The project requires very close cooperation between me, Sydney FC and the A-League. And if this happens, we can do anything. There are a lot of ideas. It is a radical choice from every point of view, but I am happy. I have had time to think carefully about other situations, other teams, other ideas. But the movement I have been asked to join is unique and truly fascinating. I am therefore very proud because this is not the project of just one team and one city, it is a global collaboration of the whole country. And it is an honour to be invited to be part of it".
his choice — "I always explained very clearly why I turned down the offers I received from other Italian clubs, because I have a certain idea of consistency. I have said just about everything possible as regards the shirt I used to wear. It's not that I see the other clubs as enemies, it's just that I think it's better this way. So one country we ruled out straightaway. But the fact that so many clubs were interested in me made me think about what I have achieved so far and what kind of player I am today".
turin — "Everything there is at the moment will stay in Turin. My office, my home, our shop. Everything will remain the same, but you won't meet me in the street. The choice of venue for the press conference? The 'Lawyer' (the nickname of former Juventus president Gianni Agnelli) was unique and always will be. It is just a coincidence and that's the best thing about it – that we ended up here".
ambassador — "Pelè in America? I know more or less what he did. But they were different times. Here they want to create something unique. And I hope that I will soon be able to handle a press conference in English".
on juve/1 — "I just want to say that I am a fan of the Bianconeri. I don't really want to say anything more. I will always love the club. I did not stop loving it even the day I realised that I would never play for Juve again. Because I gave the club everything and even more. And you have to leave feeling happy. There were so many happy moments in my career at the club. The final season was the most complicated, but I still had an important, winning role".
When I found out that my number 10 shirt was the biggest selling shirt of all, I had to smile. Why has no one at Juve been given that shirt? I wouldn't know...
his shirt — "The number 10 shirt? I would like to thank all the people that have bought it. I have to admit that I smiled a little when I read that it was the biggest selling shirt. But now I will be wearing another shirt and I hope that I will entertain people just as much, although in a different way. The number 10 shirt at Juve? I don't know why nobody has chosen it or why the club hasn't given it to anyone".
logistics — "My family will follow me. The league starts in a month's time, on 5 October. I think I will be ready by then. I will be accompanied on this adventure by Giovanni Buonocore, who is my fitness trainer, and I have been training with him for a month and a half. I will have to get to know my new teammates and train as a member of the team, something that I haven't had to do for a long time".
premier league — "I didn't think that Liverpool would call me. I needed something that was different from every point of view. I wish I could remain a player for 50 years in order to get to know all the different schools of football. In Great Britain, in Brazil. But this is my choice...".
2006 WORLD CUP — "We didn't speak about that with the club officials. That Australian team had some great players. There are many Australian players who have been successful in different countries. I hope that the national team can improve, hopefully without causing Italy any problems...".
private life — "Is it going to be easier for me to walk around without the fans calling out my name? I don't think it will change very much. There is a lot of enthusiasm and there are also a lot of Australians of Italian origin. Italians who live abroad want to get as much as they can of Italy".
on juve/2 — "Sometimes I will set my alarm clock, other times no. I will definitely not miss certain matches involving Juve, Italy and Europe. I love football and there are certain matches you just have to watch. Maybe 5 am is a little early..."
juve — "Good luck Ale Del Piero on his new adventure at Sydney". Juventus did not forget their captain who, after 19 years wearing the black-and-white shirt, signed for the Australian club. The club said goodbye to its former number 10 on twitter and wished him "good luck" for the new challenge that awaits him.
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