Happy Birthday Capitano!

By: Marco P. | November 9th, 2008

34 years ago, on the 9^th of November 1974, in a little town called Conegliano in the province of Treviso, one of the beautiful game’s greatest legends saw the light. Born of Gino and Bruna Del Piero, three decades later this wonderful footballing genius is still running on the fields of Serie A and of Europe, surprising us with his astonishing fitness level and never-empty gas tank, and delighting us many fans with his touches of magic. The delicate ball controls, the pinpoint passes, the inswinging goals (alla Del Piero), and free-kicks… these are but only a fraction of the immense repertoire of tricks this man is capable of, the true embodiment of where skills become genius, and where genius becomes legend.

And oh yes… those free-kicks. What better way to celebrate your 34^th birthday than with a victory and with a goal, the set-pieces home special. Yet another masterpiece in a year that only keeps getting better.

BUON COMPLEANNO ALE!!

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(From Channel4, Goal.com, Gazzetta):

Alex Del Piero is “very happy to be 34 years old” and on the form of his life, though there is one thing that would convince him to go back in time. “Would I like to be 20 again? Of course, then I could play for another 20 years and not the 7 or 8 ahead of me right now,” grinned the Juventus captain. “Having said that, time does help you to mature and I am very happy to be 34 years old right now.”

ADP’s sensational free kick sparked the 2-0 victory away to Chievo on his birthday, which also marked his 158^th Serie A goal in 377 appearances for the club. “I am overjoyed for the goal” said Del Piero, “and to have reached a great legend like Gaetano Scirea (note: Del Piero is currently tied second, alongside Scirea, in the ranking for players with most club appearances at Juve) but above all for the win that gives our fine form a sense of momentum and consistency. We really wanted this victory and it was very important to keep climbing after beating Real Madrid.”

And speaking of free-kicks, what’s ADP’s closely guarded secret for taking them so well? “Sorrentino had set up his wall very well, but I always play my football based on sensations I’m feeling,” he explained. “Perhaps that is why this season my strikes have been different. It’s true that in the last couple of years the height of the defensive walls has increased, and I find myself taking free-kicks at a greater distance from goal. I’ve had to train to shoot higher ball trajectories that could put the keepers in trouble. In reality there are many ways to strike a free-kick, but the important thing is that it goes in.”

“I don’t know if I have reached the level of my childhood idols Zico, Michel Platini and Diego Maradona, but I do know that as a youngster I dreamed of them and watched them closely, so perhaps that helped.”

“He was born in Conegliano, he is our Capitano, Bianconero legend, happy birthday Del Piero”