Background

Alessandro Del Piero was born on November 9, 1974 in Conegliano, Veneto. He is the son of Gino Del Piero, an electrician, and Bruna Del Piero, a housekeeper.

Education

All his childhood Alessandro Del Piero regularly played football in the backyard with two friends. His family lived in the hamlet of Saccon, a rural home in San Vendemiano and did not have much money for traveling abroad. Because of that, Alessandro decided to be a lorry driver in order to see the world.

At first, 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, but later he switched to a forward role.

Del Piero was involved in professional football in 1981. In 1988, he was first spotted by scouts, and he left home to play with the youth side of Padova. Alessandro joined the senior side during the 1991-1992 season. At the age of 17, he made his debut in Serie B against Messina. On November 22, 1992, he scored his first professional goal in a game with Ternana. In 1993, Del Piero was bought by Juventus for five billion lire, with an overlap of 150 million lire per season.

Career

In 1993, Del Piero transferred to Juventus from Padova. He made his Serie A debut against Foggia on September 12, 1993 as a substitute, and scored his first goal in his next game against Reggiana on September 19, after coming off the bench once again. Alessandro 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.

The next season Del Piero played a more prominent role for the club. He temporarily took Roberto Baggio's place in the first team alongside Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli, and Juventus went on to claim their first Scudetto in nine years. Alessandro scored 8 goals in Serie A that season. He also captured the 1994-1995 Coppa Italia with Juventus, defeating their season rivals Parma in the final, although they were defeated by Parma in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final.

For the 1995-1996 season, Del Piero was awarded Baggio's number 10 shirt after the latter's departure to A.C. Milan. He scored 6 goals and provided 10 assists in Serie A. He also played an important role in helping Juventus to win the 1995-1996 UEFA Champions League. He scored 6 goals in the competition and finished as the second-highest scorer of the tournament.

The following season, Alessandro Del Piero won the 1996 UEFA Super Cup and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup. He also helped lead Juventus to the Champions League final, although he was unable to start the match due to injury. He scored a goal in Juventus's 1-0 win over Manchester United, on November 20, 1996. In the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final, Alessandro came off the bench to score a goal with a back-heel. However, this was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund.

Del Piero won the Supercoppa Italiana once again in 1997. It was his best season yet, as he scored a joint career-best of 21 goals in Serie A and finished top scorer in the 1997-1998 UEFA Champions League with 10 goals, one of which included a freekick and a hat-trick against Monaco in the semi-finals. With these goals, he helped Juventus to reach their third consecutive Champions League final.

Juventus were once again defeated, falling 1-0 to Real Madrid on May 20. Del Piero also managed a goal in the 1997-1998 Coppa Italia that season and helped Juventus to the semi-finals. He finished the season with a career-best of 32 goals in all competitions.

Juventus began the 1998-1999 season with a 2-1 defeat in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana at the hands of Lazio. On November 8, 1998, Del Piero picked up a knee injury. This kept him out of action for the remainder of the season.

During the next season, Alessandro primarily served as an assist-man, providing 14 assists in Serie A and 20 in all competitions. He helped Juventus to capture the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup that season. This allowed Juventus to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

The following season saw Juventus suffer another defeat losing out on the Serie A title once again, to Roma. Del Piero scored the winner on his season debut against Napoli on September 30. Later he suffered another injury and fell out of form.

In the 2001-2002 season, Del Piero was named Juventus captain. He scored 16 goals and provided several assists. Juventus were crowned Serie A champions for a 26th time on May 5, 2002. The team also won the title over Roma and Inter. Del Piero managed 21 goals in all competitions, also scoring his 100th and 101st goals for Juventus. Alessandro also helped Juventus reach the Coppa Italia final that season.

Juventus's title success in 2002 enabled the club to automatically qualify for the UEFA Champions League the following season. Juventus began the 2002-2003 season by winning the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana over Parma. Del Piero scored two goals, and Juventus were also able to defend their Serie A title.

Juventus faced Italian rivals Milan in the Final in Manchester on May 28, 2003 and fell 3-2 in the shoot-out. The following season Juventus won the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana over Milan on penalties, but were knocked out in the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, and finished the Serie A season in third place. The club did manage to reach the final of the Coppa Italia and was defeated by Lazio.

In the 2005-2006 season, Alessandro Del Piero managed 12 goals in Serie A and 20 goals in all competitions, helping Juventus to defend the Serie A title. He also finished the season as the top scorer of the Coppa Italia, with 5 goals.

Del Piero's first appearance after the 2006 FIFA World Cup was in a Coppa Italia match against Cesena on August 23, 2006. He also managed his 200th goal with Juventus on October 21, 2006, in a 1-0 league victory over Frosinone.

Alessandro Del Piero negotiated a new contract with Juventus till June 30, 2010. On April 6, 2008, he set a new appearance record for Juventus, overtaking Gaetano Scirea's previous tally of 552 matches in all competitions. In April, he registered seven goals in five Serie A matches, including a hat-trick in a 0-4 away win over Atalanta. On the final weekend of the 2007-2008 season, Alessandro scored a brace against Sampdoria in a 3-3 draw.

On November 5, 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off in the Champions League, where Juventus won 0-2 and Del Piero scored both goals. On November 29, 2008, Del Piero scored his 250th goal for Juventus in a 4-0 home win over Reggina.

On July 17, 2009, Del Piero extended his contract with Juventus by one more year until June 30, 2011. He finished the season as the all-time top scorer for Juventus, having scored over 250 goals in all competitions with the club and having also made over 600 appearances in official matches for Juventus.

On March 14, 2010, Del Piero recorded his 300th and 301st career goals during a 3-3 draw with Siena. On May 5, 2011, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at the Juventus Arena. On October 18, 2011 Juventus announced that the 2011-2012 season would be Del Piero's last with the club. Alessandro scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on January 24, 2012, in a 3-0 win over Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.

In the second leg of Juventus's clash with Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Del Piero secured a 2-2 draw to progress to the final with a 4-3 aggregate win. On March 25, Del Piero helped Juventus defeat Inter by scoring the second goal of the match in a 2-0 victory. Del Piero's final match for Juventus was in the Coppa Italia Final on May 20 against Napoli. It ended in a 2-0 victory to the Neapolitans. Alessandro then left the club and became a free agent.

On September 5, 2012, Alessandro Del Piero signed a two-year deal with Sydney FC. On October 6, 2012, he made his A-League debut with Sydney FC in a 2-0 away loss against Wellington Phoenix. Del Piero scored his first goal for the club in 3-2 loss to Newcastle Jets. On October 20, he scored the winning goal against Western Sydney Wanderers FC.

On February 10, 2013, Del Piero broke the club's record for most goals in a single season, scoring his eleventh goal of the season in a 2-1 home win over Brisbane Roar. However, he was unable to help Sydney qualify for the play-offs at the end of the season. On February 21, Del Piero renewed his contract until 2014.

Alessandro was named Sydney's captain for the 2013-2014 season. He went on to score 10 goals in total for the club in this season. His final match with Sydney came in a 2-1 loss to Melbourne Victory.

On August 28, 2014, Alessandro Del Piero officially signed a four-month deal for the Indian franchise Delhi Dynamos. He made his debut for the Delhi Dynamos on October 14 in a 0-0 draw against Pune City. On December 9, Del Piero scored his first and only Delhi Dynamos goal in a 2-2 draw against Chennaiyin. He made 10 appearances throughout the season as Delhi finished in fifth place.

In October 2015, Del Piero officially communicated his retirement from professional football. He also stated his intention to pursue a coaching career.

At the international level, Del Piero has represented the Italian national team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships, most notably winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy.

Del Piero is under contract with German sports equipment manufacturer Adidas, Uliveto water, Fiat, Japanese motorbike company Suzuki, Pepsi, Bliss, Cepu, Walt Disney and Upper Deck. He also featured in the film L'allenatore nel pallone 2 and in the show La sai l'ultima di Totti.

In 2015, Del Piero joined Sky Sport Italia as a pundit. In 2017, he appeared in the Netflix series called First Team: Juventus. Since March 2018, Del Piero has been running an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles called No. 10.

Achievements

• Alessandro Del Piero is one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the best Italian players of all time, winning the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008. He is currently the second-highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals. Alessandro is also the joint ninth-highest goalscorer in Serie A history, with 188 goals.
  
  During his career, Del Piero won six Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. He has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality as well as playing ability. Alessandro is the joint fourth-highest scorer for the Italian national team, with 27 goals; he is also his nation's eleventh-most capped player of all-time with 91 appearances for Italy between 1995 and 2008.
  
  It was in 2004, that 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.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Black and White Stripes: The Juventus Story

    (Set against the backdrop of 'the beautiful game,' Black a...)

    2016
  • L'allenatore nel Pallone 2

    (L'allenatore nel Pallone 2 is an Italian comedy film dire...)

    2008

Religion

Alessandro Del Piero is religious, but not much of a practicing Catholic.

Views

In 2012, Del Piero participated in the "Save the dream" project against corruption in the sport. He also has promoted and supported a number of charities. In 1998, he donated 5.2 million lire to "Fondazione Bambini in Emergenza" for abandoned children and victims of AIDS. In 2009, Alessandro played a friendly match at Stadio Olimpico with his team "Ale 10+". The proceeds (€180,000) were donated to solidarity projects.

On April 1, 2011, Del Piero launched the project "ale10friendsforjapan" which he designed to help Japanese earthquake victims creating a website to sell T-shirts and collecting $303,880.

He was the testimonial of ADISCO for the donation of umbilical cord blood, and testimonial of 1GOAL for the education of poor children. In 2015, Del Piero facilitated and inaugurated the "AYRTON" exhibition in Turin, open between February and May 2015. The exhibition is curated by, with tickets proceeds going to, the Instituto Ayrton Senna charity.

Quotations: "A true gentleman never leaves his lady."

"No color will ever be brighter for me than black and white."

"Money is not everything. My ambition was football itself, not the money I'd make from it. If that brings me and my family a more comfortable lifestyle, then that's fine. But I don't spend my time between games and training sessions thinking about figures."

"As captain, I must always be an example to my team-mates. I'm calm and I don't have any problem with the coach or with the club. My only goal is to be ready whenever I have the opportunity to play."

"I have cried twice in my life watching a football player; the first one was Maradona and the second was Ryan Giggs."

"Luckily, thanks to the way my parents taught me, I think I can handle the fame in the right manner."

"I'm the leading scorer in the cup, and that's lovely, but don't forget this is also a great moment for the whole squad, when the two things coincide you can't ask for more."

"Had I found the back of the net it would have been a double satisfaction but I've scored many goals and the important thing was for me to play well."

"Messi is the real deal when it comes to Number 10s. He represents a type of football that transcends borders."

"Italy has plenty of high-quality players. Newcomers need time to get adjusted to the set-up and the system of play. I'm very young, and although I think I have shown good quality in my international games, I realize that there are plenty of others competing for places."

"Messi on the World Cup 2014? He showed why he is the best player in the world. It was a pleasure to see him play."

Personality

Del Piero is known for his sense of humour.

Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are among Del Piero's favorite actors.

In his career, after scoring a goal, Del Piero often celebrated by running to the touchline in front of the fans with his arms outstretched, and sticking out his tongue, also frequently leaping into the air with a raised fist towards the sky, or sliding onto his knees whilst passionately chanting to the crowd.

Physical Characteristics: Alessandro Del Piero is 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in) tall and weighs 73 kg (161 lbs). He has hazel eyes and brown hair.

Quotes from others about the person

• Carlo Ancelotti: "He is a world-class player who needs no introductions."
  
  Raúl González Blanco: "Del Piero is the best player in the history of Italian football. He is a person for who I do not only have a lot of respect, but a lot of affection as well."
  
  Mauro Camoranesi: "He is an exceptional person and really doesn't need to prove himself to anyone. Del Piero is a wonderful man and player."
  
  Gary Neville: "He's the greatest player I've ever played against. He dribbled in an incredible way."
  
  Fabio Cannavaro: "In my view he's the best person I've met in this sport."
  
  Frankie Dettori: "Del Piero is a true genius."
  
  Mark Hughes: "Even though Del Piero may be well into his 30s now, he remains one of the great players."
  
  Pepe Kamel: "With his charm and charisma he has won us all, his creativity and magnificent talent have given us nothing more to ask for, and his free kicks, no comment."
  
  Ryan Giggs: "Del Piero is the best Italian footballer."
  
  Marcello Lippi: "Del Piero is a champion with extraordinary technical ability and wonderful characteristics. When he is selected he never disappoints. He is an example to us all. He has great skills and intuitions that few other players have. He is a captain in the real sense of the word."
  
  Adrian Mutu: "Alex is an example for all of us. He works hard in training without ever speaking out."
  
  Ruben Olivera: "Del Piero is my idol. When I arrived at Juventus and I was introduced to Alex, it was like touching the heavens with my finger."
  
  Fabrizio Ravanelli: "Del Piero is able to do certain things, that could seem extraordinary, but he does them like they were simple."

Interests

• traveling, music

• Sport & Clubs

  football, basketball

• Athletes

  Maradona, Ryan Giggs

• Music & Bands

  from dance music to rap, U2, Michael Jackson, Oasis

Connections

Del Piero has been married to Sonia Amoruso since 2005. They have three children, son Tobias, daughter Dorotea, and son Sasha.

Father:

Gino Del Piero

Mother:

Bruna Del Piero

Spouse:

Sonia Amoruso

Son:

Tobias Del Piero

(born 2007)

Daughter:

Dorotea Del Piero

(born 2009)

Son:

Sasha Del Piero

(born 2010)

Friend:

Noel Gallagher

(born May 29, 1967)

Noel Gallagher is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He served as the songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis.

Friend:

Francesco Totti

(born September 27, 1976)

Francesco Totti is an Italian former professional footballer who played solely for Roma and the Italy national team primarily as an attacking midfielder or second striker, but could also play as a lone striker or winger.

References

• Alessandro Del Piero's Instagram
• Alessandro Del Piero's Twitter
• Alessandro Del Piero's Facebook
• Alessandro Del Piero's Official Website
• GeniAle. L'album di Alessandro Del Piero A book by Bartolomeo Ruggiero.
  2012
• Alex Del Piero. Minuto per Minuto A book by Roberto Savino.
  2011
• Pinturicchio. La Favola di Alessandro Del Piero A book by Bruno Bernardi.
  2006
• Semplicemente Del Piero A book by Gianni Giansanti.
  2002