Alessandro Del Piero the Great

Alessandro the Great

Alex Del Piero has broken Gaetano Scirea’s Juventus appearance record and Paul Watson hopes the media finally give him the praise he deserves

After the unexpected hiatus caused by the postponement of last weekend’s game against Parma, Alex finally chalked up Juve appearance 553 and he did so in style. The Old Lady fell in Palermo, but their inspirational captain could hardly have done more after firing a brace and coming a whisker away from a hat-trick when his free-kick struck the woodwork.

The ever-fickle Press in the peninsula have been quick to write Alex off as past it, but despite their best efforts to exaggerate his off days this term, Del Piero remains inspirational.

The gifted hitman is no stranger to honours, but becoming the Bianconeri’s all-time appearance leader irrevocably cements his place in calcio’s Hall of Fame. However hard they try, the media can’t question this achievement. Del Piero’s name has become synonymous with Italian football and his legacy is assured.

For my generation it is hard to imagine a Juventus without Del Piero. After 15 years in the Bianconeri jersey, the Padova youth product embodies the indomitable spirit of the Old Lady. With the game full of prima donnas and flashes in the pan, Del Piero stands out as a man with a powerful love of the game and his club.

While it would be easy to list a catalogue of Alex’s glorious moments, the true measure of the man surfaced after the Calciopoli scandal. Faced with the prospect of Serie B football, many stars would have baulked. Instead, Del Piero stepped up and topped the Capocannoniere chart.

Granted, his career may be winding down, but a recent poll revealed that the majority of Italians want to see Del Piero in the Azzurri shirt at Euro 2008. Glory in Austria and Switzerland would be a fitting international swansong for a great servant to the Italian game.

With it looking likely that Pavel Nedved will sign a new deal at 35, Alex could probably have a few seasons left in Turin if that’s what he wants. But given his reluctance to outstay his welcome, we may be witnessing the final chapter of the Del Piero story – and what an epic it was.