Alessandro Del Piero
Born 1974 · Age 52
Italian former professional footballer (second striker / attacking forward). Longtime Juventus captain (1993–2012), 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, later played for Sydney FC and Delhi Dynamos; since 2015 a pundit for Sky Sport Italia.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Conegliano, Italy
Alessandro Del Piero born to Gino (electrician) and Bruna (housekeeper) in Conegliano, Veneto.
Began playing organized football
Started rise in football with local club San Vendemiano youth ranks (joined youth in 1981 per bio).
Spotted and joined Padova youth
Scouts noticed Del Piero; he left home at ~13–14 to join Padova's youth side (1988).
Promoted to Padova senior team
Joined Padova senior squad during the 1991–92 season (Serie B).
Serie B debut for Padova
Made professional debut vs Messina, coming on as substitute under manager Mauro Sandreani.
First professional goal (Padova)
Scored first senior goal in a 5–0 win over Ternana.
Transferred to Juventus (transfer fee)
Bought by Juventus for five billion lire (with overlap of 150 million lire/season).
Serie A debut for Juventus
Made Juventus Serie A debut against Foggia under Giovanni Trapattoni as a substitute.
First goal for Juventus
Scored his first Juventus goal in his second appearance, vs Reggiana.
Won Torneo di Viareggio and U-20 championship (Juventus Youth)
Helped Juventus Primavera win the 1994 Torneo di Viareggio and the 1994 U-20 championship.
Won Serie A and Coppa Italia (1994–95)
Played prominent role after Baggio's injury; Juventus won first scudetto in nine years and also the Coppa Italia.
Placed 4th in Ballon d'Or
Recognised among the world's top players after breakout season.
Italy senior team debut
Began international career with Italy senior team in 1995 (went on to 91 caps and 27 goals between 1995–2008).
Won UEFA Champions League (1995–96)
Key contributor as Juventus claimed the 1995–96 Champions League; scored 6 goals in the tournament.
Won UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup; Man of the Match
Scored in both finals (UEFA Super Cup & Intercontinental Cup) and was named Man of the Match in the Intercontinental Cup; also won Bravo Award.
UEFA European Under-21 Championship winner (1996) and 1994
Won the European Under-21 Championship with Italy (1994, 1996 listed among honours).
Scored in 1997 Champions League Final (runner-up)
Came off the bench to score with a back-heel in the final (Juventus lost 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund).
Nominated 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year (6th) and Ballon d'Or
Received top-10 recognitions for performances in the calendar year.
1997–98 top scorer / Serie A & UCL success
Scored 21 Serie A goals (career-best in league at that point) and was top scorer in the 1997–98 Champions League with 10 goals; Juventus won Serie A (1997–98).
Won Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year (1998)
Awarded Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year for performances in 1998.
Severe knee injury vs Udinese
Suffered a major knee injury (8 Nov 1998) that kept him out for the remainder of the season.
Won UEFA Intertoto Cup (1999)
Helped Juventus win the Intertoto Cup to qualify for UEFA Cup.
World's best-paid footballer (2000)
Reported as the world's highest-earning football player in 2000 from salary, bonuses and endorsements.
UEFA Euro 2000 runner-up with Italy
Key squad member as Italy reached the Euro 2000 final (lost to France).
Named Juventus captain (Lippi's return era)
Became club captain upon Marcello Lippi's return, cementing leadership role at the club.
Scored emotional winner vs Bari (after father's death)
Broke a goal drought on 18 Feb 2001 and dedicated the goal to his recently deceased father.
100th and 101st goals for Juventus (vs Venezia)
Marked his 100th and 101st club goals on 26 Aug 2001.
Won Serie A (2001–02)
Contributed 16 goals as Juventus clinched the 2001–02 scudetto on the final day.
Scored twice to win 2002 Supercoppa Italiana
Scored two goals as Juventus beat Parma to lift the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana.
Opened 2002–03 UEFA Champions League account vs Dynamo Kyiv
Scored in a 5–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv (24 Sep 2002).
Reached 2003 Champions League Final (runner-up)
Played in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final (lost to AC Milan on penalties after 0–0).
Named in FIFA 100 and UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (2004)
Selected by Pelé in FIFA 100 list (125 greatest living footballers) and voted into UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (50 best European players of past 50 years).
Returned to domestic success; topped Champions League appearances/goals for Juve over years
Continued to be key for Juventus; ongoing accumulation of club records and honours in mid-2000s.
Voted into UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll (2004)
Named among the 50 best European players of the past 50 years in UEFA's Golden Jubilee Poll.
Stayed at Juventus after Calciopoli (pledged loyalty)
Chose to remain at Juventus despite relegation to Serie B after Calciopoli, committing to help the club return to Serie A.
All-time leading Juventus goalscorer (surpassed Boniperti)
Scored a hat-trick in Coppa Italia on 10 Jan 2006 to become Juve's all-time leading scorer (185 goals).
Scored vs Mexico in 2006 World Cup group stage
Scored one of Italy's goals in the group stage (contributed to eventual World Cup campaign).
Scored vs Germany in World Cup semi-final (2006)
Scored the crucial late goal in Italy's 2–0 semi-final win over Germany at Westfalenstadion.
Won 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy
Member of Italy squad that won the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Returned in Coppa Italia and scored nine seconds after entering
After World Cup, came on as substitute vs Cesena on 23 Aug 2006 and scored nine seconds later.
Scored twice vs Napoli (Coppa Italia)
Came on as substitute and scored twice vs Napoli on 27 Aug 2006 in Coppa Italia (match went to penalties).
Reached 200th goal for Juventus
Scored his 200th Juventus goal in a 1–0 win over Frosinone.
Serie B Champions (2006–07) and Capocannoniere of Serie B
Led Juventus to immediate promotion as Serie B champions and finished as top scorer in Serie B with 20 goals.
Contract negotiation and personal milestone (birth of first child)
After months of contract negotiation Del Piero agreed a new deal (running later to 2010); also greeted news of the birth of his first child.
Golden Foot Award (2007)
Received Golden Foot award, recognizing personality and playing ability.
Serie A Capocannoniere 2007–08 (21 goals)
Won Serie A top scorer award (Capocannoniere) with 21 goals in 2007–08 season (also Scirea Award July 2008).
Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year (2008)
Won the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award for the second time (first was 1998).
Last appearances for Italy (international career concluded 1995–2008)
Finished international career with 91 caps and 27 goals (Italy's eleventh-most capped player).
Broke Juventus appearance record (surpassed Gaetano Scirea)
On 6 April 2008 he overtook Scirea's tally of 552 matches in all competitions for Juventus.
Scored brace at Santiago Bernabéu (Juventus 0–2 Real Madrid)
Scored both goals in Juventus' rare 0–2 victory at Real Madrid on 5 Nov 2008.
250th goal for Juventus
Scored his 250th goal for Juventus from a penalty in a 4–0 win over Reggina.
Extended Juventus contract until 30 June 2011
Signed an extension keeping him at Juventus; stated wish to continue playing to a late age.
Sportsman of the Year - Golden Award (2010)
Received national/international sporting recognition (Golden Award for Sportsman of the Year).
445th Serie A appearance – club record
Broke club Serie A appearance record previously held by Giampiero Boniperti with a brace vs Genoa.
Recorded 300th and 301st career goals
Scored his 300th and 301st career goals in a 3–3 draw with Siena.
Became Juventus' top Serie A goalscorer (surpassed Boniperti)
Recorded his 179th Serie A goal to become Juventus' top Serie A scorer.
Career Oscar - Globe Soccer Award & AIC (2011)
Received Career Oscar honours from Globe Soccer and the Italian players' association (AIC) recognising career achievements.
Became most capped Juventus player
With a substitution vs Cagliari, he became the most capped Juventus player, passing Boniperti.
Signed new one-year contract with Juventus (2011–12)
Extended his stay at Juventus for an additional season.
Announced 2011–12 would be his final season at Juventus
Juventus confirmed the 2011–12 season would be Del Piero's last with the club.
Scored in Coppa Italia quarter-final at Juventus Stadium
Scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on 24 January 2012 in a 3–0 quarter-final win over Roma.
Juventus club records recognised publicly
By 2012 he held club records: most appearances (705) and most goals (290) for Juventus among other records.
Scored vs Inter to help title push (2011–12)
Scored in a 2–0 win over Inter on 25 March 2012 – his first league goal of the season.
700th appearance for Juventus (scored free-kick)
Made his 700th Juventus appearance and scored with a free kick in a 2–1 win vs Lazio.
Scored in final league game; Juventus crowned Serie A champions (undefeated season)
Started final league game vs Atalanta, scored, contributed to Juventus completing an undefeated 2011–12 Serie A season and winning the title.
Final Juventus match (Coppa Italia Final vs Napoli)
Substituted on 20 May 2012 in Coppa Italia final (Juventus lost 2–0); this was his last match for the club after 19 seasons.
Left Juventus and wrote open farewell letter
Officially ended a 19-year spell at Juventus, finishing with club records of 705 appearances and 290 goals.
Signed with Sydney FC (two-year contract)
Joined Sydney FC on a two-year deal; reported to be paid approximately AU$3.5M per season, making him the highest-paid player in Australian history at the time.
A-League debut for Sydney FC
Made his A-League debut on 6 Oct 2012 in a 2–0 loss to Wellington Phoenix.
First goal for Sydney FC (free-kick)
Scored his first Sydney goal from a free-kick in a 3–2 home loss to Newcastle Jets.
Scored first Sydney Derby goal
Netting the winning goal in the first Sydney Derby on 20 Oct 2012 (1–0 to Sydney FC).
Named Sydney FC captain for 2013–14 season
Announced as club captain for the 2013–14 campaign.
Named to Sydney FC Team of the Decade & AFC Team of the Decade (2013/2015 listings)
Named to Sydney FC's team of the decade and to the AFC team of the decade (acknowledgement in 2015 for the previous period).
Four-goal haul for Sydney FC vs Wellington Phoenix
Scored four goals and provided an assist in Sydney's 7–1 win – his first four-goal game in career.
Broke Sydney FC single-season scoring record
On 10 Feb 2013 he achieved the club record for most goals in a single season (11 at that point); finished season with 14 goals in 24 appearances.
Extended Sydney FC contract until 2014
Renewed his deal on 21 Feb 2013 to remain with Sydney FC through 2014.
Scored opening goal of 2013–14 A-League season
Opened the 2013–14 A-League season with a goal in a 2–0 victory over Newcastle Jets.
Final match for Sydney FC
Played last match for Sydney on 18 April 2014 (Elimination final loss to Melbourne Victory); finished as Sydney FC's top scorer for the season.
Captained A-League All Stars vs Juventus
On 10 Aug 2014 he captained the Hyundai A-League All Stars against Juventus in Sydney (over 55,000 attendance).
Signed for Delhi Dynamos (Indian Super League)
Signed a four-month deal with Delhi Dynamos on 28 Aug 2014; reported as the highest-paid player in Indian football history.
Delhi Dynamos debut
Debuted for Delhi Dynamos on 14 Oct 2014 in a 0–0 draw against Pune City.
Scored free-kick for Delhi Dynamos
Scored his only goal for Delhi Dynamos from a free-kick in a 2–2 draw with Chennaiyin on 9 Dec 2014.
Officially announced retirement from professional football
In October 2015 Del Piero announced his retirement and stated intent to pursue a coaching career.
Began working as pundit for Sky Sport Italia
From 2015 onwards he has worked as a television pundit for Sky Sport Italia.
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