"I love the blue shirt, I won't lose it again"

March 23, 2001
Kataweb Sport

By Carlo Annovazzi 

BUCHAREST - "I love the blue shirt. I am proud of having gotten it again. And I will give everything not to let it go from me". Being the man of the eve once more, rediscover himself important. Alex Del Piero is the image of peace. On the outside. On the inside, instead, he's on fire. It's his great chance. Another one. But the most important. So much has been said. Now he's a starter in a World Cup qualifyer match. Not only that. He has on himself all the attention, attention that is directed to the classy players. Totti, the talent that has replaced him in the hearts of the Italians, is at home with fever. The azzurra fantasy is all in Del Piero. Brush in his hand, Pinturicchio also paints, in the cold of Bucharest.

"The National Team has for me a single fascination. It's the maximum. It's the most important team in Italy. Unfortunately, some people only remember it during the European Championhips or the World Cup. Or when the clubs fail. Now it's asked that the National Team recover the Italian football from the heavy defeats on the cups. We are ready, we won't fail. But don't forget the Azzurri right after, when the Serie A will start again. Because it counts more than anything else.

"Thrilled? I am always thrilled when I play with the blue shirt. I feel like I felt all of the other times. I don't feel under observation. The coach has chosen me, it means he has trust in me. And that's enough for me".

He's grown, Del Piero. Also on the field. On the bianconero defeat he went about proudly off the Olimpico: a good match, a great goal. Will he score for Italy, too? "Well, scoring is good for everyone. But first off all against Romania the result will count. If I score the winning goal, it will be one more happy thing. It's a positive moment, good things are finally happening to me. I don't want to stop. I've worked hard, I suffered to become a starter. I don't want to waste this chance".

Del Piero will play with Filippo Inzaghi on the attack. "Me and Alex find ourselves very good in Juve. We hope to repeat the same plays also with the National team", affirms the striker. Inzaghi, the Piacenza-born man with the goal on his blood, also has physical problems, light things, blisters on the feet, but that annoy him. "Above all on heavy fields. And here at Bucharest we risk playing in such a ground". But this shall not stop him. "It's a hard match, Romania plays their heart out and will receive encouragement from the crowd. But I am calm: we never make any mistakes on the important matches". It's good he remembers this, because the last azzurra image is that home defeat against Argentina. "It was a friendly, here things will be different", he guarantees.

But what should Italy do? "Score one goal more than them or concede one less", Inzaghi jokes. "Actually, it will be important not to be scored against in the beginning of the match".
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