Thanks & goodbye?
As the Alex Del Piero contract saga rumbles on, Antonio Labbate warns the No 10 to accept Juventus’ offer or face the consequences
It would be easy for Juventus to hand Alessandro Del Piero a new contract. After all, he’s a club legend, a loyal servant, a professional who has seen all the highs and lows imaginable in Turin since his 1993 switch from Padova. However, the club need to do what is right for their own future and Alex arguably belongs to the past.
I’m not saying that Juventus must show the No 10 the door at all costs and they are evidently willing to keep him – but, quite rightly, only on their own terms. The financial implications of Calciopoli are still being counted and Del Piero, who will turn 33 in November, can’t honestly expect the club to adhere to his reported salary demands of around £3.2m a season.
To be blunt, Del Piero is not worth that figure if we are assessing him purely on his ability as a footballer. He was probably the world’s best player during 1997-98, but you watch him today and he’s no longer that fantasista who seemed destined to become the Roberto Baggio of the 21st Century. He’s still a good player, but can he really be expected to make the difference in a body which can no longer consistently cope with what his feet want him to do?
Perhaps we expect too much of Del Piero, but the fact is that there have been concerns over his ability for some years now. While Alex will always have a special place in the hearts of the Juventus fans, he won’t always have a place in their team. Fabio Capello clearly had issues with him during his Turin stint, while Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph was hardly based around ADP. He’s also not indispensable for either Claudio Ranieri or Roberto Donadoni these days seeing as both dropped him yesterday.
Del Piero needs to realise that his role at Juventus is changing and the club’s present contract offer is highlighting that reality. While Pinturrichio is right to feel that he should be rewarded for all that he’s done on his way to becoming a recognised flag-bearer for La Vecchia Signora, especially after demotion, he can’t live off his reputation alone in a career hampered by that knee injury in Udine nine years ago.
At the end of the day, Juventus are bigger than Alessandro Del Piero and always will be. They are also a club who have proved in the past that making unpopular decisions can sometimes pay. Del Piero should know that more than most, seeing as he really got his chance at Juve when they sold Baggio in 1995 due to a contract dispute. They said thank you and goodbye then, they seem prepared to do the same again if necessary…
youngster , under his username.
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