Del Piero speaks

April 17, 2000
Juventus Official Site

Not to be ever satisfied with himself has become something of a code of honour for Alessandro Del Piero. The character of the inventive Juventus and Italy number 10, combined with his exceptional talent, has gone far towards making him one of the most successful players in Italian football. Even this season - a difficult one given his long absence from the last campaign with injury - he has proved to be a hugely important member of the team, despite the infamous lack of a goal from open play. His touch is second to none, he has an eye for the killer pass, will battle till the final whistle and always shows a level of determination second to none - another of the qualities that makes him such a favourite with the fans.

"I'm never satisfied with myself, which is a good thing, because if you think that way you always try and give more. I don't know whether the fans are satisfied with my performances, but what I do know is that they always show a great deal of affection for me, which is gratifying. I sense the fans cheering me on, willing me to play, to score - to be what I am." That Alex has never been on the receiving end of whistles and abuse from the Juve faithful has also been of great help to him. His one aim now is to win the Scudetto, "with or without scoring myself".

That final comment is particularly telling: for Del Piero, the team always comes first, as it did at the San Siro on Sunday night when he initially seemed to struggle in the playmaker role which he had first experienced in the early days with Marcello Lippi. But the talented number 10 quickly proved to be one of the artifices of Inter's - and Lippi's - downfall.

This may not be the last time we see Del Piero in Zinedine Zidane's role, but the Frenchman need not fear the competition. "My position is the one I've always played in," Del Piero asserts, "both with Juve and the Azzurri - although obviously if necessary it's right that I should take on the role asked of me. Fortunately it seems to produce positive results."

The victory over Inter now looks to have left the road clear for Juventus at the Serie A helm, but Alex insists it's not over till it's over. "The situation a month ago when we were nine points ahead of Lazio was definitely more comfortable. Which means we should not sit back on our lead at all: rather, we should regroup for the final sprint".
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