Alessandro Del Piero

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Del Piero began his career at Padova in Serie B before being signed by Italian giants Juventus in 1993. He quickly established himself as a key player, particularly in the UEFA Champions League, helping the club reach three consecutive finals from 1996 to 1998, winning the 1996 edition. During this period, he scored 20 goals in 27 Champions League appearances, finishing as the competition's top scorer in 1997–98. Del Piero later helped Juventus win back-to-back Serie A titles in 2001–02 and 2002–03, while also reaching his fourth Champions League final in the latter season. After Juventus were forcibly relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to the Calciopoli scandal, Del Piero chose to remain at the club despite the departures of several key players, and captained them back to Serie A after a single season in the second division. Del Piero played at Juventus for 19 seasons (11 as captain) and holds the club records for most goals (290) and appearances (705). In total, he won 16 trophies at the club, including six Serie A titles, and won the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008. After leaving the club in 2012, he also spent two seasons with Australian side Sydney FC; he retired in 2014, after a season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League. At international level, Del Piero has also represented the Italy national team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships, most notably winning the 2006 World Cup, and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He is the joint fourth highest scorer for Italy, with 27 goals. In 2004, Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In the same year, he was also voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, a list of the 50 best European players of the past 50 years. Along with six awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct, he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality as well as playing ability.

In Their Own Story

In 1993, Del Piero moved from Padova to Juventus for five billion lire. His first full season saw him score a hat-trick against Parma on his debut as a starter. He helped Juventus win the 1994–95 Serie A title and the Coppa Italia. The following year, he won the UEFA Champions League, scoring six goals in the campaign. In 1997, he scored with a back-heel off the bench in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, though Juventus lost 3–1. He reached another final in 1998 but was not fully fit. After winning Serie A titles in 2001–02 and 2002–03, the club faced relegation in 2006. Del Piero remained as captain, guiding the team back to the top flight. He won two more Serie A titles before leaving in 2012.

Reader's Guide

Del Piero began his rise to professional football in 1981, in the ranks of San Vendemiano. In 1988, Del Piero was first spotted by scouts, and he left home at the young age of 13 to play with the youth side of Padova. He joined the senior side during the 1991–92 season, at the age of 16, and at the age of 17, he made his debut in Serie B against Messina, under manager Mauro Sandreani, on 15 March 1992, coming on as a substitute for Roberto Putelli. The following season, on 22 November 1992, he scored his first professional goal in a 5–0 victory over Ternana. In 1993, thanks to Giampiero Boniperti, Del Piero was bought by Juventus for five billion lire, with an overlap of 150 million lire per season. In 1993, Del Piero transferred to Juventus and played for the Torinese club for 19 seasons until being released in the summer of 2012. Although manager Giovanni Trapattoni insisted that he trained with the senior team, he initially played with the Primavera squad, which was coached by Antonello Cuccureddu, helping the Juventus Youth team to win both the 1994 Torneo di Viareggio, and the 1994 U-20 championship. Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia on 12 September 1993 under Trapattoni, as a substitute, and he scored his first goal in his next game against Reggiana on 19 September, after coming off the bench once again. On his full debut for Juventus, he netted a hat-trick against Parma. After his promising performances, Del Piero began to be deployed with more continuity, and he managed 14 appearances for Juventus that season between youth matches, league matches, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Cup, scoring 5 goals, which all came in Serie A, as Juventus finished the season in second place in the league.

Did You Know?

• Del Piero was born in Conegliano, Veneto, the son of Gino, an electrician, and Bruna, a housekeeper.
• His older brother Stefano briefly played professional football for Sampdoria before an injury curtailed his career; he later worked as his younger brother's agent.
• While playing for the local youth team of San Vendemiano, Del Piero used to feature as a goalkeeper in order to gain more playing time.
• Del Piero earned the nickname Pinturicchio after former president Gianni Agnelli compared him to the renaissance artist Pinturicchio, who was the student of Raphael.