if he doesn't start alex then he can say goodbye to his brief, unsuccessful and pathetic intl. coaching career
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Il Capitano Alessandro Del Piero (291 Viewers)
- Thread starter Chxta
- Start date
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Trivia
* As a small child Alex lived at a rural property with his family and played at the backyard. His two friends, Nelso and Pierpaolo used to play with him. The three of them wanted to become footballers, but only Del Piero managed to do so.
* Del Piero recalled that when he was growing up there was never any money for travelling abroad and that he wanted to be a lorry driver so he could see places. As a professional football player he was eventually able to travel all around the world.
* He once said that he 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 wouldn't sweat and the possibility of him getting injured was smaller. But one day, Stefano told their mother: "Don't you see that Alex is good in the attack?
* Del Piero was once the world's best paid player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue
* Del Piero is into other sports and also into music. He has even released some music CDs himself.
* Del Piero is regarded also for his character off and on the pitch. He has won several awards such as the "'Coppa d'Argento' Premio Speciale Gentleman" , the "San Siro Gentleman Serie A TIM" and the Associazione Soomaaliya Special Award for Fairness which is assigned to the persons who with their silence have not been arrogant, aggressive or violent
* Del Piero is known for his sense of humour. He once joked that if Lippi doesn't convoke him to the World Cup in Germany, he'll "run him over with his car and sink his damn boat".
* Pelé named Del Piero in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. He was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.
* He is considered to have a strong bond with the fans; "I'm proud to be a Juventino, to be a "bandiera", like you define me to be often, in reality I'm just a small part of a big black & white "bandiera" (flag) that grows with the years and if you look closely your name is part of it... To continue making this "bandiera" grow we need everybody: let's stay united."
* Del Piero is a huge Oasis fan and has a good relationship with Noel Gallagher. In fact, Del Piero claimed Gallagher was Italy's lucky mascot in their 2006 World Cup success and invited him to the final and the team hotel after victory.
* He appeared in a Rolling Stones Concert in Milan in 2006 together with Marco Materazzi, following Italy's World Cup victory.
* Famous sport icons such as NBA star Steve Nash and cycling legend Eddy Merckx stated that they're fans of Del Piero.
* As a small child Alex lived at a rural property with his family and played at the backyard. His two friends, Nelso and Pierpaolo used to play with him. The three of them wanted to become footballers, but only Del Piero managed to do so.
* Del Piero recalled that when he was growing up there was never any money for travelling abroad and that he wanted to be a lorry driver so he could see places. As a professional football player he was eventually able to travel all around the world.
* He once said that he 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 wouldn't sweat and the possibility of him getting injured was smaller. But one day, Stefano told their mother: "Don't you see that Alex is good in the attack?
* Del Piero was once the world's best paid player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue
* Del Piero is into other sports and also into music. He has even released some music CDs himself.
* Del Piero is regarded also for his character off and on the pitch. He has won several awards such as the "'Coppa d'Argento' Premio Speciale Gentleman" , the "San Siro Gentleman Serie A TIM" and the Associazione Soomaaliya Special Award for Fairness which is assigned to the persons who with their silence have not been arrogant, aggressive or violent
* Del Piero is known for his sense of humour. He once joked that if Lippi doesn't convoke him to the World Cup in Germany, he'll "run him over with his car and sink his damn boat".
* Pelé named Del Piero in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. He was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.
* He is considered to have a strong bond with the fans; "I'm proud to be a Juventino, to be a "bandiera", like you define me to be often, in reality I'm just a small part of a big black & white "bandiera" (flag) that grows with the years and if you look closely your name is part of it... To continue making this "bandiera" grow we need everybody: let's stay united."
* Del Piero is a huge Oasis fan and has a good relationship with Noel Gallagher. In fact, Del Piero claimed Gallagher was Italy's lucky mascot in their 2006 World Cup success and invited him to the final and the team hotel after victory.
* He appeared in a Rolling Stones Concert in Milan in 2006 together with Marco Materazzi, following Italy's World Cup victory.
* Famous sport icons such as NBA star Steve Nash and cycling legend Eddy Merckx stated that they're fans of Del Piero.
Duo battle for striking berth
Alex Del Piero and David Di Michele are competing for a spot in Italy’s starting line-up for Saturday’s clash with Ukraine.
Roberto Donadoni has not yet decided who to field next to Mauro Camoranesi and Luca Toni, as the Azzurri seek a victory after their stuttering start to the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Del Piero seems to hold the advantage over Di Michele, although both players have begun the season impressively with Juventus and Palermo respectively.
The Bianconeri skipper, however, has international experience and that could prove to be decisive in a must-win match.
A defeat or even a draw may jeopardise the Azzurri’s hope of qualifying for the European Championship.
Italy are currently sixth out of seven teams in Group B with one point from two matches, five points behind joint leaders France and Scotland.
Donadoni will field Gennaro Gattuso and Daniele De Rossi in midfield and a four-men defence, with Massimo Oddo and Gianluca Zamborotta on the flanks and Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi as centre-backs.
The Azzurri suffered a double blow during the week, when Fabio Grosso was forced to pull out with a thigh strain and Simone Perrotta was also injured during training on Wednesday.
Ukraine defeated Georgia 3-2 in their only Group B qualifier to date and Coach Oleh Blokhin may be forced to start without Andriy Shevchenko – who has a high temperature – and the Dynamo Kiev duo Serhiy Rebrov and Ruslan Rotan.
The match will kick-off at 20:50 local time at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome and will be officiated by Kyros Vassaras of Greece.
Alex Del Piero and David Di Michele are competing for a spot in Italy’s starting line-up for Saturday’s clash with Ukraine.
Roberto Donadoni has not yet decided who to field next to Mauro Camoranesi and Luca Toni, as the Azzurri seek a victory after their stuttering start to the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Del Piero seems to hold the advantage over Di Michele, although both players have begun the season impressively with Juventus and Palermo respectively.
The Bianconeri skipper, however, has international experience and that could prove to be decisive in a must-win match.
A defeat or even a draw may jeopardise the Azzurri’s hope of qualifying for the European Championship.
Italy are currently sixth out of seven teams in Group B with one point from two matches, five points behind joint leaders France and Scotland.
Donadoni will field Gennaro Gattuso and Daniele De Rossi in midfield and a four-men defence, with Massimo Oddo and Gianluca Zamborotta on the flanks and Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi as centre-backs.
The Azzurri suffered a double blow during the week, when Fabio Grosso was forced to pull out with a thigh strain and Simone Perrotta was also injured during training on Wednesday.
Ukraine defeated Georgia 3-2 in their only Group B qualifier to date and Coach Oleh Blokhin may be forced to start without Andriy Shevchenko – who has a high temperature – and the Dynamo Kiev duo Serhiy Rebrov and Ruslan Rotan.
The match will kick-off at 20:50 local time at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome and will be officiated by Kyros Vassaras of Greece.
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Player Profile: Alessandro Del Piero
In the line of duty, Alessandro Del Piero, possibly the most gifted Italian player of the last twenty years, remains, with steadfast loyalty, to the club he loves most, Juventus. A great thing for a player who just three months ago celebrated the World Cup title and now has to play in Serie B after the Italian judiciaries demoted the Turin club for the notoriety they achieved through the infamous match-fixing scandal.
Gifted with accurate passing skills and impressive vision, Alessandro - even though he started his career as a fully-fledged forward - quickly settled into the role of the support striker. His creative abilities were on display whatever the coach's formation, whoever was by his side and whichever team he played for (Juventus or Italy).
Born in Conegliano in 1974, Del Piero caught the eye when playing for his hometown team San Vendemiano. At the age of 16, he started his professional career at Serie B side Padova. After only 14 games and with most Italian football observers having heard of his precocious talent, Del Piero joined Juventus in 1991.
Marcello Lippi, in arguably the most brilliant inspiration of his career, elected to build his team around the promising youngster rather than the successful and highly effective Roberto Baggio, and was paid back as he saw Juvenus lifting trophy after trophy.
In the 1994/95 season the young Del Piero won his first ever scudetto and since then he has won six more Italian titles, the most recent of which came last season, with Del Piero weighing in with 14 goals. Between his first two scudettos came one of his biggest triumphs, the Champions League trophy in 1996. But the crowning moment that season for “Alexander the Great”, as he was nicknamed many times, was his wonderful goal from a corner-kick against River Plate that secured victory for Juventus in the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo.
With Juventus Del Piero has made over 330 appearances and last season became the club's all-time record goalscorer with over 180 goals in all competitions.
However good he is though, he has never managed to capitalize on his success with Juventus in the national team, as despite his incredible club scoring record and all-round play, Del Piero has never been considered an unquestionable choice for Italy’s starting XI.
Of course Alessandro has done his duty for his nation, scoring 25 goals in over 70 appearances for his country.
A serious knee injury suffered in 1998 was a major setback for Del Piero and marked a turning point in his career. When he returned, Juventus kept faith with “Pinturicchi” (a nickname this time earned from Gianni Agnelli, the owner of Juventus at the time, for his eye for goal) and continued to pick him in an attempt to coax the best from a player with little to prove in terms of ability and success.
Del Piero adapted his game to suit his loss of speed and was rewarded with a return to form, taking part in highly creative combinations with Zinedine Zidane and Filipo Inzaghi first, and later with Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet.
Since the comeback of Alessandro, Juventus seemed to be in another golden era of their history, winning consecutive titles. Everything changed though last season when they were linked to the biggest Italian match-fixing scandal. The general manager of Juventus, Luciano Moggi, was identified as the big brain behind the match-fixing of many games in Serie A and B and maybe in the Champions League.
The Italian players, ashamed by the reputation they earned for being apprentices of this system, washed away their disgrace by winning the World Cup last summer in Germany. Del Piero was in the squad, and although not one of those who made the most impact, contributed appreciably to Italy’s success.
La Vecchia Signora were punished with demotion soon after the celebrations for the big trophy and Del Piero could have chosen to leave Juventus and Serie B for something better. This option, however, never crossed the mind of the captain.
First love is always the first love and Del Piero is not willing at all to give up the club that made him famous at the worst turn of their long history. Juventus’ all-time top scorer will stay there to lead them back to Serie A and take his place in the history books alongside the other famous Bianconeri.
And his reward this week was a coveted recall to the Azzurri squad for the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.
By Michael Paterakis
In the line of duty, Alessandro Del Piero, possibly the most gifted Italian player of the last twenty years, remains, with steadfast loyalty, to the club he loves most, Juventus. A great thing for a player who just three months ago celebrated the World Cup title and now has to play in Serie B after the Italian judiciaries demoted the Turin club for the notoriety they achieved through the infamous match-fixing scandal.
Gifted with accurate passing skills and impressive vision, Alessandro - even though he started his career as a fully-fledged forward - quickly settled into the role of the support striker. His creative abilities were on display whatever the coach's formation, whoever was by his side and whichever team he played for (Juventus or Italy).
Born in Conegliano in 1974, Del Piero caught the eye when playing for his hometown team San Vendemiano. At the age of 16, he started his professional career at Serie B side Padova. After only 14 games and with most Italian football observers having heard of his precocious talent, Del Piero joined Juventus in 1991.
Marcello Lippi, in arguably the most brilliant inspiration of his career, elected to build his team around the promising youngster rather than the successful and highly effective Roberto Baggio, and was paid back as he saw Juvenus lifting trophy after trophy.
In the 1994/95 season the young Del Piero won his first ever scudetto and since then he has won six more Italian titles, the most recent of which came last season, with Del Piero weighing in with 14 goals. Between his first two scudettos came one of his biggest triumphs, the Champions League trophy in 1996. But the crowning moment that season for “Alexander the Great”, as he was nicknamed many times, was his wonderful goal from a corner-kick against River Plate that secured victory for Juventus in the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo.
With Juventus Del Piero has made over 330 appearances and last season became the club's all-time record goalscorer with over 180 goals in all competitions.
However good he is though, he has never managed to capitalize on his success with Juventus in the national team, as despite his incredible club scoring record and all-round play, Del Piero has never been considered an unquestionable choice for Italy’s starting XI.
Of course Alessandro has done his duty for his nation, scoring 25 goals in over 70 appearances for his country.
A serious knee injury suffered in 1998 was a major setback for Del Piero and marked a turning point in his career. When he returned, Juventus kept faith with “Pinturicchi” (a nickname this time earned from Gianni Agnelli, the owner of Juventus at the time, for his eye for goal) and continued to pick him in an attempt to coax the best from a player with little to prove in terms of ability and success.
Del Piero adapted his game to suit his loss of speed and was rewarded with a return to form, taking part in highly creative combinations with Zinedine Zidane and Filipo Inzaghi first, and later with Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet.
Since the comeback of Alessandro, Juventus seemed to be in another golden era of their history, winning consecutive titles. Everything changed though last season when they were linked to the biggest Italian match-fixing scandal. The general manager of Juventus, Luciano Moggi, was identified as the big brain behind the match-fixing of many games in Serie A and B and maybe in the Champions League.
The Italian players, ashamed by the reputation they earned for being apprentices of this system, washed away their disgrace by winning the World Cup last summer in Germany. Del Piero was in the squad, and although not one of those who made the most impact, contributed appreciably to Italy’s success.
La Vecchia Signora were punished with demotion soon after the celebrations for the big trophy and Del Piero could have chosen to leave Juventus and Serie B for something better. This option, however, never crossed the mind of the captain.
First love is always the first love and Del Piero is not willing at all to give up the club that made him famous at the worst turn of their long history. Juventus’ all-time top scorer will stay there to lead them back to Serie A and take his place in the history books alongside the other famous Bianconeri.
And his reward this week was a coveted recall to the Azzurri squad for the forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.
By Michael Paterakis
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