Zaccagni scoring a Del Piero

Zaccagni expressed his admiration for Del Piero, revealing he grew up with his poster on his wall, after scoring a goal reminiscent of Del Piero's against Germany in the 2006 World Cup, which helped Italy advance to the Round of 16 against Croatia.

Lars Ricken's lob against Juventus

The 1997 UEFA Champions League final took place on May 28, 1997, at the Olympiastadion in Munich. 

Borussia Dortmund faced Juventus and emerged victorious with a 3-1 win. 

Dortmund took the lead in the 29th minute with a goal by Karl-Heinz Riedle, who then scored a second goal five minutes later. 

Juventus managed to pull one back through Alessandro Del Piero in the 65th minute. However, Dortmund sealed their victory with a memorable long-range chip from super substitute Lars Ricken, just 16 seconds after he came onto the pitch, making it 3-1​ 

This victory marked Borussia Dortmund's first and only Champions League title to date. 

The team was managed by Ottmar Hitzfeld, while Juventus was led by Marcello Lippi.

 Despite efforts from key Juventus players like Zinedine Zidane, they couldn't overcome the organized Dortmund defense and effective counter-attacks​

Italy in the 2006 World Cup

How Italy won the 2006 World Cup and about the scandal of the 2002 World Cup

Alessandro Del Piero's celebration

Alessandro Del Piero was also known for sticking out his tongue in celebration after scoring goals. This gesture became another trademark of his celebrations, adding a touch of playful exuberance to his goal-scoring moments. Del Piero's tongue-out celebration became quite iconic and was often imitated by fans and even other players. It was a fun and distinctive aspect of his goal celebrations throughout his illustrious career.

Inter vs Juventus 1998

Inter Milan vs Juventus in 1997-1998 was very controversial

A heated match between Juventus and Inter Milan during the 1997-98 season left not only football fans, but also politicians, in uproar.

Tensions ran high after Juventus was denied a penalty, leading to a 0-0 draw and a subsequent 1-0 victory for Inter Milan. However, the controversy reached its peak during the match when referee Piero Ceccarini opted not to award a penalty for a foul committed by Juventus' Mark Iuliano on Inter forward Ronaldo.

Adding fuel to the fire, Juventus, leading 1-0 at the time, was eventually granted a penalty just moments later. However, Alessandro Del Piero failed to convert it. Despite this, Juventus clinched the game with a 1-0 victory, securing the scudetto with a five-point lead.

The aftermath of the match spilled into the political arena, causing a stir in the Italian parliament. During a publicly broadcast "question time" session in April 1998, Domenico Gramazio of the National Alliance erupted, reportedly shouting "They are all thieves!" at Massimo Mauro, a fellow politician and former Juventus player representing the ruling Democrats of the Left.

The spectacle prompted outrage from Walter Veltroni, then-Deputy Prime Minister, who denounced the behavior as "unworthy, embarrassing, and grotesque." The session had to be abruptly suspended, and repercussions followed for several politicians involved.

The incident highlighted the deep intertwining of football and politics in Italian society, where the passion for the sport often spills over into other aspects of public life, sometimes with tumultuous consequences.

Del Piero vs Germany

Alessandro Del Piero scoring Italy's second goal against Germany in the 2006 World Cup.

Prints available on: https://t.co/YDHKMhxpaZ?amp=1

Happy birthday to the last Serie A legend Gigi Buffon!

Buffon's 40th birthday!

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Alessandro Del Piero caricature

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My Football cartoons Beginnings

 

Many of my followers asked me when did I start drawing football cartoons, well I always thought it happened recently, a year or less from my beginning with Goal.com.
But one of my friends at school; Rajy, surprised me lately with these two illustrations of  Del Piero and Peruzzi the Juventus players, these were in the 1998 -1999 season, referring to their jersey that they are wearing in these two pics.
My freind as well is a Juve fan, and I made these two illustrations back in my high school days for him as a humble gift from me to him.

 

I wonder if back then if somebody told me that am going to start that as a career later, what would be my reaction?

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Liverpool miss out as Juve's favourite son heads down under

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero confirmed his move to Sydney FC on Wednesday, penning a two-year deal.

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However, the 37-year-old claimed that Liverpool showed a late interest in signing him ahead of his switch to the Australia A-League outfit.

"They were one of the clubs, amongst the non-Italian sides [interested], and I was surprised to be contacted by them," he said his first Sydney FC unveiling.

But Brendan Rodgers' supposed approach was, evidently, in vain and could only watch on as The Old Lady handed her favourite son to Australian football.
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Arrivederci Del Piero

 

Sunday's Coppa Italia final marked the end of Alessandro Del Piero's 19-year stay with Italian giants Juventus.

The 37-year-old bowed out following his side's 2-0 loss to Napoli, a defeat which will do little to mar a remarkable career with the Old Lady and the Italian national team.
Six Serie A titles, one Champions League victory and a World Cup win mean that Del Piero will always enjoy the respect of his peers, whatever his next move.
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Juventus emerge from dark days of 2006

 

Juventus finally secured the Serie A title on Sunday with a victory over Cagliari, as AC Milan stuttered to defeat against rivals Inter.
The championship is the Turin side's first since their demotion to Serie B in 2006, owing to their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal.

It has been a long road back for the Old Lady, who can finally claim to be among Italy's finest once again, if they manage to avoid defeat in their final game of the season, they will have gone the entire league season unbeaten.

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Plain sailing in Madrid and Turin ...

 

As the season enters its crucial period, individuals can become heroes in key moments.

That was the story in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night when Cristiano Ronaldo netted yet another hat-trick to guide Real Madrid past city rivals Atletico, and in Turin where Alessandro Del Piero came off the bench to seal a vital win for Juventus over Lazio to send his side to the top of the Serie A table.

However, in Germany it was a different state of affairs when Arjen Robben sunk his Bayern Munich side in the defeat at Borussia Dortmund. 

First the Dutchman played Robert Lewandowski onside for the only goal of the game, before he twice cost his team a point when he failed to convert a penalty and then missed from close range. It's sink-or-swim time for Bayern in the title race, but it looks like Arjen is doing both.

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Del Piero cements his place as the King of Turin

 

Alessandro Del Piero confirmed his place as the 'King of Turin' on Sunday as he scored his first league goal of the season in a 2-0 win for Juventus in the Derby d'Italia against Inter.

The 37-year-old forward will leave the Bianconeri at the end of the season after the club confirmed in October that the iconic No.10 will not be offered a new contract , but with his side now in the Coppa Italia final and chasing down AC Milan at the top of Serie A, could it be the perfect end to an illustrious career with 'The Old Lady' for His Royal Highness?

 

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Simply the Best (Del Piero)

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Eid Adha mubarak

Sheep: People... the ball is back there

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