++ [ originally posted by Juve_Kosova
] ++
Nicole’s Point Of View: Del Piero Should Move On
6/18/2005 5:37:00 PM
As a Romanista I’ve never had any love for the Bianconeri. You’d expect me to hate their captain Del Piero as well, but you’d be wrong as I used to like Del Piero very much. However I feel that it’s time that Del Piero, Juventus and the Azzurri moved on.
Amazingly a lot of Juve fans still believe he is one of the best in the world, when in actual reality he hasn’t been in the top 50 for the last 7 years. Those who argue that he is still as good as he was, are disrespecting how good he used to be. He was once heralded as the true heir of Roberto Baggio, but that title, along with the No.10 shirt, belongs to Francesco Totti.
So what now for the player who has been at Juventus for 12 years? People will say he can still do it. Yes he scored 16 goals this season, 14 in Serie A, and 10 goals from open play. However is that really the return of a great striker at a top club? With Zlatan, Mutu and Trezeguet, that alone leaves 3 strikers who are better than him, if you believe the reports (and I am hoping they are false) that Juventus do buy Antonio Cassano, where does that leave Del Piero now?
Does he really want to be considered the same as Zalayeta has been? "Our fifth choice striker"? It gives me no pleasure saying this but like a badly wounded animal it is time for him to be put to rest, as a fan of Serie A I’d prefer to remember him as the player he once was, not this mediocre sub-standard version.
I hope he can do what he has done through-out much of his career, show that grace he became famous for and let the new generation move in.
Nicole Sofia Baresi
Goal.com
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Sad, but true.. its time for DP to move on! or a early retirement