What the others
say about him...
Alex is the kind of player
that leaves an impression in everyone, be it on the field or outside it,
on his everyday life, with the press. Here's some of these impressions,
by other football-related people:
Marcello
Lippi, Juventus coach
"Alex is going to have a
wonderful season. I can see it from the way he talks and trains."
- About the polemic question:
should Alex play as a forward or a trequartista, behind two strikers,
after Zidane's departure?
"To me he's a striker who
can play in many ways, even behind two other strikers if needed, this has
to be the basis of the whole team. We must be able to adapt to different
things this season."
"We will sometimes play with
three strikers, other time Alex will play as a midfielder, versatility
is the key-word here."
(August, 2001)
Roberto
Bettega, Juventus vice-president
-
After Del Piero's goal against Bari, for the Serie A:
"It
was the kind of goal I have always dreamed of scoring. A perfect cocktail
of flair, skill, strength and calm"
"In
such a tragic week for Alex, his performance tells more about the man than
it does about the player. This I think was appreciated by everybody, not
just by the Juventus fans."
(February
20, 2001)
Massimo
Carrera, former Juventus player, currently at Atalanta
-
Speaking before Atalanta-Juventus, played for Serie A:
"He's
a true champion and he has to go back to being the star he used to be.
I'm sure that he won't disappoint his fans if he'll be given time to recover
and improve. Of course, selfishly speaking I'm kind of hoping that he'll
be able to wait one more week before turning into that great striker again,
otherwise we'll be in big trouble Saturday night, but in any case I will
really be happy to see him play again."
(February
1, 2001)
.
Diego
Armando Maradona, former footballer
-
Talking about one hundered world footballers:
"Here
he is, he is different from Zidane, he likes to play, he feels it in his
soul; between he and the French [Zinedine Zidane], I stay with him."
(From
the book "Yo soy el Diego de la gente", Maradona's autobiography)
.
.
Edson
Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé, former footballer
-
Talking about the players that would shine in France 98', in his opinion:
"He
has played brilliantly for Juventus this season [97/98]. He has been a
good player for a while but it seems he has come into his best form at
just the right time. Italy will depend on his control and creativity so
that they can break teams down. But as well as being a creative player,
he is also a great goalscorer. He didn't get the chance to play in the
USA and was disappointing at Euro '96. He's 24 and this is his chance to
star."
.
.
Angelo
Di Livio, Fiorentina midfielder
"I've met Ale at the Primavera.
And he was already a phenomenon. He was so brave that we forced the coach
to make him debut at the main team."
"With Del Piero I have an
expendid relationship. I've been close to him on the hard time after the
injury. You know what I like better about him? The humbleness."
- Talking about the jokes
played when they were room-mates at Juventus:
"Our favourite victim? Ciro
Ferrara. Once we've filled his bed with shaving foam. How many laughs.
And the gavettoni*? Me and Ale had become a sort of nighmare to
our team-mates. A moment of distraction and they ended up sopping wet from
their head to the feet."
* "Gavettone" means joke,
prank. A typical one would be dropping a bag full of water from the top
of a building, for example, to people walking on the street.
(From La Gazzetta dello
Sport. April 20, 2000)
.
.
Carlo
Ancelotti, former Juventus coach
"He is a world-class player
who needs no introductions. This year [1999], after such a long absence,
he can draw on his determination and enthusiasm to make a big impact on
his return."
.
Giovanni
Agnelli, Juventus president
-
After Del Piero signed his millionaire five-year contract with Juventus:
"I hope Del Piero shows
he's worth what he's gotten. If he shows so then certainly he's worth a
lot."
(From Raisport. June 30,
1999)
.
Super special thanks to
Fabio Ingrao.
.
