Close encounter

August 10, 2000
Juventus Official Site

Such is the allure of Alessandro Del Piero that over 1,000 fans turned up to meet the Juventus number 10 at the Summer Village on Wednesday night. And judging from the crowd's reactions, you could be forgiven for thinking that a film star had turned up. In fact the only thing missing was a limousine. But, then again, Alessandro Del Piero is no ordinary footballer.

The throng of fans and the cheers that went up on the diminutive number 10's arrival just went on and on. The noise and commotion were such that the organisers had difficulty controlling the crowd. In the end, it was only Del Piero himself who managed to get the fans to take their seats!

But the questions were few and far between as the main issue was, you guessed it, autograph-hunting. Del Piero also demonstrated plenty of good humour when one fan asked how many goals he expects to score this season. "From the penalty spot or from open play?" followed up Alex.

Fans had travelled from all over Italy to be there and Del Piero thanked them for doing so. But, sadly, not everyone left happy: with well over 1,000 fans present there are only so many autographs one man can give.
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