At age 20, Del Piero impressed the Juventus management so much that former World Player of the Year - Roberto Baggio was let go to make room for the budding attacker. Two years on from that decision, the Juve directors must be very satisfied: Del Piero helped the team to the Serie A and European Cup titles, and was fourth in the balloting for 1997 Ballon d'Or, awarded annually to the European Player of the Year.
With 19
goals in the UEFA Champion's League [April 3, 98 after game vs. AS Monaco] Del
Piero is the all-time top-scorer in Europe's most important cup. He is also
a vital component of one of the top club sides in the world [Juventus] and a
regular fixture in the Italian National Team but had a disastrous France '98.
Del Piero possesses great ball control and also succeeds in Set Piece situations.