Il Capitano Alessandro Del Piero (37 Viewers)
- Thread starter Chxta
- Start date
dunno if anyone has already posted this.
but i enjoyed it a lot so i'll share
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/sports/soccer/26iht-soccer26.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
but i enjoyed it a lot so i'll share
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/sports/soccer/26iht-soccer26.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Money, though, is not the issue."
B as in Berlin
I couldn't have even imagined what had happened in summer, 2006. But it happened, it was true and real and I found myself with scudetto won and then, taken away, with the World Cup in my hands and the anxiety of uncertain future for my team, that was even threatened to be placed in Serie C (!) in the end I woke up in between the dream and nightmare, being certain just about one thing: I was already there and I was to remain, no matter what was about to happen.
I got the news about the Juventus sentenced to Serie B minus 30 points, while being on holidays after the victory at World Championship. It was just crazy.
This was the right moment to start fighting. Back to Vinovo, I set off for the new journey without many of my team-mates, with the society full of new managers and with the new coach ( Didier Dechamps was my ex team-mate, and this was his first time as a coach). The new challenge awaited ahead. The Court of Appeals reduced the sentence to Serie B minus 17 points. Finally our destiny was clear. Crying over the spilt milk, arguing and discussing wouldn't ha brought anything… In my head I was already thinking about the moment when I'd say: ok we are back to Serie A, but I didn't like just one phrase "the hell of Serie B". Because normally to hell goes the one who deserves it… I don't think that, we, players, deserved it. And, there's no way out of Hell. Instead, from the very first moment I threw myself into this adventure, I knew that one day we'd be back to Serie A, stronger than before. In fact, that championship was some kind of a real comeback to the very origins of football, not just mental, but a real comeback. Some kind of the very beginning. I started all over again from Padova, where years ago o scored the first goal, being a professional player. The only one I scored, not wearing the Juventus shirt.
I started appreciating the continuous training, without the transfers in the middle of the week, careful preparation for only one game, matches played in the afternoon, free Sundays (because in B you always play on Saturday afternoon).
Well, I tried hard to find the positive side of the situation..but not for that reason I remained in Juventus. There was something special that made me look further than just not playing against the best teams, getting the better out of Italy and Europe, going out for dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday when there was Champions League on TV. I think it was the deep sense of Juventus, being my home and all what was happening to the society to the team and to our supporters made disappear even the smallest intentions to go away.
Already in August I realized that I had made the right choice. I was perfectly fit and surely not just by chance. With just a bit of training I felt myself already bright and quick in movements. I do remember the feeling of being carried away by the strong stream and the feeling of being inside it. Right from the beginning of that abnormal season that was my sensation. Being carried away by my will, by the awareness that I was doing the right thing. Deep inside, playing in Serie B, helped me to somehow get back my youth and this is the greatest advantage.
I know that this was my destiny, it was something that never happened to anybody else: on the peak of my career, holding the World Cup in my hands, on the 9th of September 2006 I arrived to Rimini, to play the match in Serie B. 14 years passed since the last match I played in Serie B in Padova. But this time I had three other things on : black and white shirt, captain band on my arm and number 10 on my back.
I know that it didn't happen by chance that my 200th goal I scored against Frosinone, the team that was mostly teased by those who laughed at Juventus in Serie B. The center forward goal that came from the right pass half-turned, from the keeper rash coming out, from Nedved’s shot that hit the pole and from Trezeguet knee kick. And if you look at the names, together with Buffon and Camoranesi, there are other players who came from World Championship to Serie B. For me it was also the season of 500 presences with the Juventus shirt on and above all, the season, where I was given the title of best goal scorer of the Championship-21 goals scored. It was real important for me, because I didn't snob out this adventure, I gave my best on all the pitches,( I played on all of them before, I wasn't born on Bernabeu!) I fought and was attacked, it had been a long time since I'd played football so purely physical.
At the end we made it. Full promotion, that we celebrated in Arezzo on the 19th of May 2007 with two assists and two goals. I knew it would have been like that, from the very first day, from the very first goal! The one I scored on the 23.09.06, in Italian Cup against Cesena keeper Dino Manuzzi, on the stadium I was back to play on after my long injury in 1999.
That was the first game for me after the World Championship. I was on the players’ bench. Deschamps asked to enter the pitch. Everything happened in no time: around 16 seconds passed between my joining the team on the pitch and the scored win goal. The same time of that 'coast to coast' stream that led me to my goal at World Championship against Germany, just less than a month ago. I was still there and Iwas "to remain".
____________________________________________________________________________
And where the fuck were you in that period, AA?
I couldn't have even imagined what had happened in summer, 2006. But it happened, it was true and real and I found myself with scudetto won and then, taken away, with the World Cup in my hands and the anxiety of uncertain future for my team, that was even threatened to be placed in Serie C (!) in the end I woke up in between the dream and nightmare, being certain just about one thing: I was already there and I was to remain, no matter what was about to happen.
I got the news about the Juventus sentenced to Serie B minus 30 points, while being on holidays after the victory at World Championship. It was just crazy.
This was the right moment to start fighting. Back to Vinovo, I set off for the new journey without many of my team-mates, with the society full of new managers and with the new coach ( Didier Dechamps was my ex team-mate, and this was his first time as a coach). The new challenge awaited ahead. The Court of Appeals reduced the sentence to Serie B minus 17 points. Finally our destiny was clear. Crying over the spilt milk, arguing and discussing wouldn't ha brought anything… In my head I was already thinking about the moment when I'd say: ok we are back to Serie A, but I didn't like just one phrase "the hell of Serie B". Because normally to hell goes the one who deserves it… I don't think that, we, players, deserved it. And, there's no way out of Hell. Instead, from the very first moment I threw myself into this adventure, I knew that one day we'd be back to Serie A, stronger than before. In fact, that championship was some kind of a real comeback to the very origins of football, not just mental, but a real comeback. Some kind of the very beginning. I started all over again from Padova, where years ago o scored the first goal, being a professional player. The only one I scored, not wearing the Juventus shirt.
I started appreciating the continuous training, without the transfers in the middle of the week, careful preparation for only one game, matches played in the afternoon, free Sundays (because in B you always play on Saturday afternoon).
Well, I tried hard to find the positive side of the situation..but not for that reason I remained in Juventus. There was something special that made me look further than just not playing against the best teams, getting the better out of Italy and Europe, going out for dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday when there was Champions League on TV. I think it was the deep sense of Juventus, being my home and all what was happening to the society to the team and to our supporters made disappear even the smallest intentions to go away.
Already in August I realized that I had made the right choice. I was perfectly fit and surely not just by chance. With just a bit of training I felt myself already bright and quick in movements. I do remember the feeling of being carried away by the strong stream and the feeling of being inside it. Right from the beginning of that abnormal season that was my sensation. Being carried away by my will, by the awareness that I was doing the right thing. Deep inside, playing in Serie B, helped me to somehow get back my youth and this is the greatest advantage.
I know that this was my destiny, it was something that never happened to anybody else: on the peak of my career, holding the World Cup in my hands, on the 9th of September 2006 I arrived to Rimini, to play the match in Serie B. 14 years passed since the last match I played in Serie B in Padova. But this time I had three other things on : black and white shirt, captain band on my arm and number 10 on my back.
I know that it didn't happen by chance that my 200th goal I scored against Frosinone, the team that was mostly teased by those who laughed at Juventus in Serie B. The center forward goal that came from the right pass half-turned, from the keeper rash coming out, from Nedved’s shot that hit the pole and from Trezeguet knee kick. And if you look at the names, together with Buffon and Camoranesi, there are other players who came from World Championship to Serie B. For me it was also the season of 500 presences with the Juventus shirt on and above all, the season, where I was given the title of best goal scorer of the Championship-21 goals scored. It was real important for me, because I didn't snob out this adventure, I gave my best on all the pitches,( I played on all of them before, I wasn't born on Bernabeu!) I fought and was attacked, it had been a long time since I'd played football so purely physical.
At the end we made it. Full promotion, that we celebrated in Arezzo on the 19th of May 2007 with two assists and two goals. I knew it would have been like that, from the very first day, from the very first goal! The one I scored on the 23.09.06, in Italian Cup against Cesena keeper Dino Manuzzi, on the stadium I was back to play on after my long injury in 1999.
That was the first game for me after the World Championship. I was on the players’ bench. Deschamps asked to enter the pitch. Everything happened in no time: around 16 seconds passed between my joining the team on the pitch and the scored win goal. The same time of that 'coast to coast' stream that led me to my goal at World Championship against Germany, just less than a month ago. I was still there and Iwas "to remain".
____________________________________________________________________________
And where the fuck were you in that period, AA?
