Alessandro Del Piero is an Italian footballer who currently features for the Italian and European powerhouse Juventus. Del Piero is all the all-time record goalscorer for Juventus and is also the club’s most capped player. He is essentially a player who plays in the hole just behind the strikers and the midfielder and captains his club.
Del Piero was born into a humble family where his father was an electrician and his mother a homemaker. While growing up Del Piero amusingly considered making his living as a lorry driver since he wanted to see the world outside his countryside house but altered his ambition to become a football player.
Del Piero made his professional debut for modest Italian side Padova in 1991 but after two seasons he was signed by Italian powerhouse Juventus. Del Piero has been playing for the Old Lady of Turin since then. He made his debut for Juve in September 1993 against Foggia and grabbed a hat-trick in his first start for his club which was against Parma.
Del Piero gradually developed into a club icon for Juventus and is adored by the club supporters. With the Turin club, he won the Italian Serie A championship seven times (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006), the UEFA Champions League once (1996), and the Intercontinental Cup once (1996). He finished the 2007-2008 season Serie A season as the league’s top scorer with 21 goals. Del Piero was one of the very few players who decided to stick to the Old Lady when they were relegated to the Serie B in the summer of 2006 for match-fixing.
Del Piero is a highly versatile player who can play anywhere between the midfield and the attack. He can play as a marksmen or a striker, as a supporting striker, as an attacking midfielder or as a hole-player.
Del Piero has an equally illustrious international career with the Italian national team. He is his nation’s fourth all-time leading goalscorer and won the 2006 Germany World Cup. He featured in Euro’96, World Cup 2002,Euro 2000, World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004 too.
Personal awards:
- Best Italian Player
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer
- Most Charismatic Striker in Italy
- All-Time Top Scorer for Juventus
