Happy Birthday Alessandro Del Piero!

Like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better. He may not be plying his trade in the Italian Peninsular anymore, but I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say, he is missed. After spending 19 years and amassing over 700 appearances Alessandro will always remain in the hearts and minds of every Juventino for a long time to come.

Throughout his last season he was used sparingly by new coach Antonio Conte, who was also a former teammate, yet when Del Piero was used, his impact on the game would be immense. His first goal in the new Juventus Arena came against Roma in the Coppa Italia quarter final which they went on to win 3-0. Another important goal came in the Coppa Italia semi final second leg against Milan. He scored a beauty to secure a 2-2 score line on the night which meant a 4-2 aggregate score which insured their route to the final.
His first Serie A goal of the 2011-12 season came against bitter rivals Inter on the 25th March to secure a 2-0 victory.

His final game in Serie A was against Atalanta, it was rather emotional. Everyone was finally coming to terms with the loss of this amazing player. He was eventually subbed on 59 minutes but that was not before he scored an amazing goal to double Juventus' lead. The emotions were evident and open for everyone to see as everyone took the opportunity to embrace the legend before he left the pitch.
The emotions on the pitch were nothing compared to those seen in the stands, fans were seen in tears, not just the women and children but also grown men. They felt no shame for shedding a waterfall of tears, as they were witnessing the departure of a legend.

The focus was all about one man: Alessandro Del Piero, even as the game was still going on the great man couldn't leave things like that and he did 3 laps of honour while play was still going on.
Del Piero's final match in the Bianconeri Jersey was the Coppa Italia final against Napoli which resulted in their first defeat yet it was Del Piero who rallied the troop to fight on to the very end. It may have not been the fairytale ending that they had hoped for, but the emotions felt by every Juventino at the final whistle was the same.. It was an end of an era.

The club had planned to retire the No 10 Jersey out of respect for the legend that wore it, yet it was Ale' who stopped this from happening as he wanted kids to be able to aspire to the idea of being the next No10 for Juventus. After an illustrious career Alex Del Piero had the choice of retirement, yet his love for the game was soo much and he wanted to share his experience to try and better the game, and on September 5th he signed for Sydney FC. And so, we say goodbye to the man, but the legend will remain with us forever!

Happy 38th Birthday Il Pinturicchio!