La Stampa 11/03/99
It has been exactly 4 months since Alessandro Del Piero's injury and Juve
will ironically meet Udinese this Saturday.
Del Piero is doing training by himself with physiotherapist Aldo Esposito
checking his progress. Del Piero works out in the gym inside Stadio
Comunale in the morning and goes to the Ronchi Verdi Country Club in the
afternoon for sessions of swimming, conveyor belt, exercise bycicle, and
bycicle. Around Easter, Alex will begin exercise with the ball and light
running. Doctors expect him to be fully fit for July, although Del Piero
wants to be in Barcelona May 26th for the Champions League final, if Juve
makes it that far.
Though we haven't seen much of Alex on the field, he was almost everywhere
in social events, such the MTV Video Music Awards in Milan, the Miss Italia
Pageant, the Italian Music Festival in San Remo, the Skiing World
Championships in Vail, and at the opening of the new Adidas store in Milan.
Meanwhile, Del Piero's agent, Claudio Pasqualin, says that his client's
contract will be signed between April and May.
For those who lived on the moon the past four months, here's a recap of Del
Piero's odyssey:
NOVEMBER 8TH, 1998 : Breaks ligaments on left knee in match against Udinese.
NOVEMBER 21ST, 1998 : Goes to Vail for visit at the Valley Medical Center.
NOVEMBER 25TH, 1998 : Dr. Richard Steadman performs surgery on Del Piero's
knee. Meanwhile, Alex watches the whole procedure on a monitor.
DECEMBER 10TH, 1998 : While returning to Italy on a plane, learns that
Juventus has proceeded to the Champions League quarterfinals.
FEBRUARY 7TH, 1999 : Goes back to Vail for a check-up, meets Deborah
Compagnoni at the Skiing World Championships. Marcello Lippi leaves Juve.
FEBRUARY 13TH, 1999 : Returns to Italy after Dr. Steadman tells him that he
will be fully fit in 3 to 4 months.
Meanwhile, Juan Eduardo Esnaider, Nicola Amoruso, and Zoran Mirkovic didn't
train yesterday because of the flu. If Juve had to play today, Filippo
Inzaghi's partner would be Daniel Fonseca, the only other fit forward.
Everything will be decided tomorrow, though. Mirkovic is doubtful also for
the match against Olympiakos.
Udinese isn't faring well either, with Jonathan Bachini, Valerio Bertotto,
and Marcio Amoroso all banned from Saturday's match.
