“He is football’s gentleman, but also a killer in front of goal.”
This is how Marcello Lippi once described Alessandro Del Piero and it’s hard to find a more perfect summation. Elegant yet ruthless, soft-spoken yet decisive, Del Piero embodied the romantic spirit of Italian football while quietly carving out a legacy as one of its most lethal forwards. From his trademark curling finishes to his unwavering loyalty to Juventus through triumph and scandal, “Pinturicchio” left a mark not only on the pitch, but in the hearts of calcio lovers worldwide. This is the story of a true legend — the boy from Conegliano who became a global icon.
Alessandro was born in 1974 in Conegliano and while playing locally for San Vendemiano used to play in goal, something his mother encouraged as he would sweat less and would also less likely pick up an injury. It was his brother, Stefano, who noticed the young Alessandro’s skill and suggested he play as a forward.
It seemed to work and by 1988 Padova had noticed his talent and snapped up the young Del Piero. He would make his senior debut at the age of 17 in Serie B and in 1993 he scored his first goal in a 5-0 victory over Ternana. This was the start of a prolific goalscoring career which would see him score in every single competition he played in.
Following his short spell in Padova, Del Piero transferred to Juventus for just over 5 billion lire and he would stay for over 19 seasons, staying loyal through triumph and scandal. Del Piero made his debut in September 1993 against Foggia, and would score his first Juventus goal a week later against Reggina. During these early years at Juventus he was often called “topolino” by veterans for his quiet demeanour and big ears!
This nickname would soon be replaced to Pinturicchio, after the Renaissance painter, which was coined by Juve President Gianni Agnelli to reflect his artistry. Nowhere was this more evident than a November 1993 match against Parma, where a 19 year old Del Piero netted a stunning hat trick despite starting on the bench. His status as a generational talent was cemented a season later when he played a key support role as Lippi’s Juve won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa.
As Baggio departed to Milan in the mid-90s, Del Piero was handed the famous Juventus 10 shirt. Over the next few seasons, Del Piero as a focal point would become the keystone of Juventus’ attacking play. He perfected his “Gol alla Del Piero”, curling in from the edge of the box, and in 1996 started in the Champions League Final that Juventus won against Ajax. He would also be present as Juventus reached the next two finals, losing both.
Del Piero’s career seemed to be at an all time high, his stock constantly rising including being added the the Euro 96 squad for Italy, however, it would all come crashing down over the next few years. In November 1998 in the final moments of a match with Udinese, Del Piero picked up a serious ACL and MCL injury, which would keep him out for the remainder of a season where Juventus would suffer. Over the next couple of seasons, Del Piero would struggle to regain full fitness and would suffer many niggly injuries as Juventus struggled to assert and dominance in Serie A.
All would change in 2001, Conte had left Juventus and Del Piero was named captain and in the 2001-02 season, a rejuvenated squad won the Scudetto in a dramatic final day. Alessandro scored 16 goals and dragged Juve through several tight matches.
The next season he was again crucial in another run to a Champions League Final and another in which Juventus would lose, this time on penalties against Milan at Old Trafford. Over the following seasons he was key as Juventus won back to back Scudetti under Fabio Capello. The Calciopoli scandal would revoke these titles, and enforce a relegation to Serie B for Juventus, stars would leave the sinking ship. Del Piero, rather predictably, stayed to fight on for his team. Unsurprisingly, in 2006/07 he was top scorer in Serie B as he dragged Juventus back to Serie A.
Later in his career, Del Piero became an ageless icon, winning the Capocannoniere aged 33 with 21 Serie A goals in 2008. A year later he scored twice for Juventus at the Bernabeu, receiving a standing ovation from the home support there. In his penultimate Juventus season, he broke the all time Juventus goalscoring record of Giampiero Boniperti and in his last game, Del Piero came good one last time for Juventus, scoring past Atalanta as Conte’s team won Serie A unbeaten.
At the end of 2011-12 Alessandro Del Piero finally bid farewell to Juventus after 19 seasons in which he became their all time top scorer and all time appearance holder with 705 games and 290 goals. It nearly wasn’t so though – during the late 90s there was a move to Manchester United on the cards…
One of the most intriguing “what if” moments of Alessandro Del Piero’s career came in the late 1990s, when Sir Alex Ferguson made a serious approach to bring him to Manchester United. After Juventus reached consecutive Champions League finals in 1996, 1997, and 1998, Del Piero had firmly established himself as one of the world’s premier forwards. Ferguson, searching for a technical, creative forward to complement the likes of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, reportedly saw Del Piero as the perfect fit. According to interviews years later, the move was genuine — but Del Piero declined the offer, citing his deep connection to Juventus and loyalty to the club that had helped make him a global star. “Leaving Juve never really crossed my mind,” he said in a 2019 interview. “Even though it was Manchester United — and it was a huge honour — my heart was in Turin.” It became a defining moment in his career, symbolising the kind of loyalty that’s increasingly rare in modern football.
Del Piero wasn’t just a Juventus legend however, over 13 seasons, he would make 91 appearances for the Azzurri, scoring 27 goals. The most famous of which was undoubtedly Italy’s second in the 2006 World Cup Semi-Final against hosts Germany. In typical fashion, Del Piero cut in from the left hand side and curved a ball beautifully from the edge of the area and into the top corner. Italy would go on to win the final and Del Piero lifted the World Cup – his only honour for Italy.
During his career he would win 6 Scudetti (in theory it could’ve been 8, Google Calciopoli), a Champions League, one Coppa Italia, 4 Supercoppas, a UEFA Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup. After Juventus he headed to Australia for a spell in the A League with Sydney FC, where he was known as “Alex” due to the locals struggling to pronounce Alessandro! The greatest comment on his career probably came from a former team mate and eventual opponent, former Ballon D’Or winner Zinedine Zidane once said of him, “If I had to pick a player to watch for pure aesthetic joy, it would be Del Piero.”
Alessandro Del Piero… A true Legend of Calcio.
The Calcio Blog 