It is true; the one club player is a dying breed. As evidenced with the recent Luis Suarez nonsense, there is no loyalty remaining in football these days.
Alessandro Del Piero was a one club man; loyal to the Old Lady of Turin for 19 glorious years. He made a staggering 513 appearances for Juventus scoring 208 goals. Not too shabby at all, and you can guarantee Del Piero never, ever, has to pay for a meal in Turin.
The striker was all class for both club and country. Smart movement combined with deadly finishing made Del Piero one of the best strikers in Europe for over a decade and a half.
The man’s send off at the end of the 2011/2012 was fitting of his phenomenal career. Not only did he score a goal but the Juventus faithful sang his name throughout. When he was substituted the reaction was incredible and from the bench Del Piero continued to milk the crowd so much so that he took off on a lap of honour whilst the game he had just left was still going. That is the kind of respect and adulation that Del Piero commanded.
Who else could do that? Embark on a lap of honour whilst a competitive match was still taking place. Not many, that’s for sure, but that’s the kind of person and player Del Piero was; respected and loved throughout the footballing world.
Here are some of his finest moments to, strangely, the Ghostbusters theme (the tongue out thing I guess). What a player, and what a career.