Del Piero - The true gentleman of 'The Old Lady of Turin'

Having devoted his entire youth and tasted all the sweet and bitter with Juventus, the handsome striker has become a symbol of the most powerful club in Serie A.

On the afternoon of December 4, 1994, at Delle Alpi Stadium, Juventus of Gianluca Vialli, Fabrizio Ravanelli... met Fiorentina of Gabriel Batistuta. Fiorentina led 2-0 after the first half, before Vialli equalized 2-2 for the home team.

In the 89th minute, receiving a long ball from defender Alessandro Olrando, the young striker with curly hair kicked the ball with the outside of his right foot in the air, creating a beautiful arc that flew past goalkeeper Francesco Toldo. 3-2 for Juventus.

From a young, shy boy, Del Piero has become a symbol of loyalty and devotion to Juventus.

The whole stadium roared with excitement. The scorer had just turned 20 less than a month ago, he replaced his idol Roberto Baggio who was injured that day. That young man's name was Alessandro Del Piero. That goal was the first great moment that the legend brought to Juventus. After that winter afternoon, there were many other great achievements to follow. Not only did he replace Roberto Baggio for one match, but he also replaced the "Divine Ponytail" to become a monument, attached to almost the entire player's life at Juventus.

Andrea Pirlo said that he likes to work with great people and absolute professionals. And Del Piero is a rare case that possesses both qualities. When Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Juventus in the summer of 2004, coach Fabio Capello gradually put Del Piero on the bench. But Alex remained silent and accepted.

When Caliopoli happened, the team was relegated. In the storm of stars fleeing the sinking ship, Del Piero said: "A true gentleman does not abandon his old lady". He stayed, fighting in Serie B. In his last season at Juventus, although confined to the bench, Del Piero did not complain, and every time he was on the field, he handled the ball with the passion of a child.

The man who was as beautiful as a Roman statue was an example of striving to improve, and a spirit of not giving up despite going through many pains in his career. In 1998, Del Piero suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his knee. That injury seemed to make him unable to recover, but Alex came back and continued to write a glorious page in history.

In 2000, he incurred the wrath of a large section of the tifosi as the most direct cause of the Azzurri's defeat to France in the Euro 2000 final, but with his exemplary personality and talent on the pitch, he was forgiven and loved by the tifosi. Two months earlier, it was a rainy night in Perugia where Juventus lost the scudetto to Lazio in the final round.

Even in the utmost pain of Juventus being relegated to Serie B, Del Piero happily stayed and helped the team progress on the road to post-Calciopoli revival.

It is easy to talk about Del Piero's achievements because everyone can see the glory through his beautiful goals, but few people know the pain that this striker has suffered behind the scenes. Del Piero's last season at Juventus, as Andrea Pirlo described in his autobiography "I think, therefore I play", was full of tears.

Del Piero once said that he was proud of his father who was an electrician, and his mother who worked as a hired hand by cleaning floors in Conegliano. He was proud of his wonderful parents who gave him a beautiful childhood despite a difficult life. He considered all of this as a lesson in the strength to overcome adversity.

Five years after Calciopoli, Del Piero was still the soul of Juventus. The Juventini will never forget November 6, 2008, three days before his 34th birthday, at the Santiago Bernabeu, when Alex scored two goals against Iker Casillas, the second of which was a beautiful free kick. Those two goals made Del Piero the third person after Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho to receive applause from the opposing fans in the stands. Images only found in legends.

Casillas later described: "I knew he was dangerous, but I never expected him to do something so unbelievable." However, those were just glimmers of light in the desolate night of Juventus after the Calciopoli storm. Del Piero's loyalty and goals could not save a Juventus that was weak against Inter domestically and other opponents in Europe.

Del Piero has experienced the ultimate glory and the ultimate bitterness with Juventus.

It wasn't until the 2011-2012 season, after nearly five years of rebuilding, that Juventus regained their strength, but that was also when Del Piero had to say goodbye. He had accompanied Juventus through the most difficult days to revive the team after Calciopoli, and when the team returned to its former position of power, there was no longer a place for him.

Nearly two decades of dedication to the black and white shirt, through 705 matches and 290 goals, Del Piero has devoted almost his entire youth to Juventus. He and the "Old Lady" have gone through many ups and downs, together bringing home 16 Cups of all kinds. He is admired by even rival fans because of the way he devotes his love to Juventus alone.

And until now, even though he has gone to Australia and India to play football, the memory of Del Piero is still intact in the hearts of football fans, as one of the greatest names in the turbulent flow of Calcio.

According to VnExpress