Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero (born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a second striker but could also operate across various attacking roles. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sport Italia. A technically gifted, creative forward and a free-kick specialist, he is widely considered one of the greatest players ever and a Juventus legend. He is the second-highest Italian scorer in all competitions with 346 goals, trailing only Silvio Piola (390), and netted 462 goals overall in his career.

Del Piero started his professional journey at Padova in Serie B, joining Juventus in 1993. He quickly became a key figure, notably in the UEFA Champions League, where he helped the club reach three consecutive finals from 1996 to 1998, winning the 1996 edition. During that stretch, he scored 20 goals in 27 Champions League matches and was the competition’s top scorer in 1997–98. He later guided Juventus to back-to-back Serie A titles in 2001–02 and 2002–03, and reached a fourth Champions League final in 2003. After Juventus was forcibly relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to the Calciopoli scandal, Del Piero stayed while many key players left, captaining the team back to Serie A after one season.

He spent 19 seasons at Juventus, 11 as captain, holding club records for goals (290) and appearances (705). He won 16 trophies there, including six Serie A titles, and was named Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year in 1998 and 2008. After leaving in 2012, he played two seasons for Sydney FC in Australia, then retired in 2014 following a season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League.

Internationally, Del Piero represented Italy at three World Cups and four European Championships, winning the 2006 World Cup and reaching the Euro 2000 final. He is joint fourth on Italy’s all-time scoring list with 27 goals. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, Pelé’s list of the 125 greatest living footballers, and voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll of the 50 best European players of the past 50 years. He has also won six Italian awards for gentlemanly conduct and the Golden Foot award, which recognizes both personality and playing ability.

Del Piero was born in Conegliano, Veneto, to Gino, an electrician, and Bruna, a housekeeper. As a child, he played football in the backyard with friends Nelso and Pierpaolo, all dreaming of becoming footballers, but only Del Piero succeeded. His older brother, Stefano, briefly played professionally for Sampdoria before an injury ended his career and later became Del Piero’s agent. The family lived in a rural home in San Vendemiano, and because they had little money for travel, Del Piero once considered becoming a lorry driver to see the world.

While playing for the local youth team of San Vendemiano, Del Piero initially played as a goalkeeper to get more game time; his mother thought this role would keep him from sweating and reduce injury risk. His brother Stefano convinced their mother that Del Piero’s skills were better suited to an attacking position, so he switched to forward.

Del Piero began his professional rise in 1981 with San Vendemiano’s youth ranks. In 1988, scouts spotted him, and at 13 he left home to join Padova’s youth side. He moved to the senior team in the 1991–92 season, making his Serie B debut at 17 as a substitute against Messina on 15 March 1992 under manager Mauro Sandreani. His first professional goal came on 22 November 1992 in a 5–0 win over Ternana. In 1993, Giampiero Boniperti helped Juventus sign him for five billion lire, with an additional 150 million lire per season.

At Juventus, Del Piero initially trained with the senior team under Giovanni Trapattoni but played for the Primavera youth squad, coached by Antonello Cuccureddu, helping them win the 1994 Torneo di Viareggio and the 1994 U-20 championship. He made his Serie A debut as a substitute against Foggia on 12 September 1993, scoring his first goal in his next game against Reggiana on 19 September, also off the bench. On his full debut, he scored a hat-trick against Parma. That season, he made 14 appearances across youth matches, league, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Cup, scoring five Serie A goals as Juventus finished second. The 1994–95 season saw Marcello Lippi become manager, and Del Piero took on a larger role after Roberto Baggio’s injury in November.