Alessandro del Piero and Juventus: An everlasting relationship that will never end

The relationship between Alessandro Del Piero and Juventus may have ended on paper and paper alone, but the relationship that the Italian footballer has with Juventus in general, with the fans, is far from over. It is an everlasting, beautiful relationship that just shows the passion that the two entities have towards each other.

May 2012 – Juventus have won their first Scudetto since 2003. It had taken them nine years to claim the trophy that rightfully belonged to them. The members of the team are jumping with joy, the president is happy, the manager is relieved and the fans are ecstatic. The streets of Turin are filled with people celebrating, some of whom have travelled across different time zones and continents to join in.

A week later, there was a mixture of sadness and joy. A middle-aged man free from work on a nice weekend turns on to the channel to the Juventus–Atalanta game, only to find that the supporters of the winning team are crying in despair. He is shocked and tries to reason what he has just seen. Another Calciopoli? Did Massimo Moratti create another scandal? Has Palazzi been able to pull off treachery again? The work-oriented man has probably not followed the rise of the most coveted team in Italy, or probably he watches the English Premier Division.

The Juve tifosi are in tears because the God of Turin is leaving. The club has ended an unforgettable relationship with Il Capitano. The captain of Juventus, a player with most appearances, most goals…God indeed. The man in front of the television wonders whether the happiness of securing a major trophy after a period of nine long years is greater, or the sadness surrounding the departure of “the real phenomenon”.

After seeing the footage on live television, he agrees with the latter. Many Bianconeri supporters are still angry about the decision for the captain to be axed. Is our captain bigger than our club? Or is our legendary club bigger than our legendary captain instead? Whatever the answer to that question, the two go hand in hand. Would Juventus have been a club of such immense value without Del Piero? Would Alex have been such a fabulous player without Juventus?

There are many players who achieve a level of supremacy – the “best”. But being the “greatest” is something entirely different. Greatness is not achieved by winning a Ballon d’Or alone, or by performing a couple of stepovers. It cannot be achieved just by winning a World Cup or a Champions League. It is a gradual progressive level that one can only attain through years of struggle on the field and off it.

Alessandro Del Piero is the greatest footballer in the opinion of most of the Juventinos. It is justified for obvious reasons, starting with 19 years of loyalty portrayed by the captain, but that is not the only reason. From winning the league cup, to numerous Scudettos and a single European Cup, Alex Del Piero has won it all at Juventus. He has won all the possible trophies with the club (including the Serie-B), numerous personal accolades and the hearts of not just Juventus supporters but the fans of football.

Alex is probably the most technically gifted player the club has ever had, probably even better than Il divin Codino. This technique is not just applicable to skills on the ball but also to his off the ball movement, his technique of shooting the ball from just anywhere. The most versatile free kick taker the world has seen. These are just glimpses of how good a player he was on the field. The dependency La Vecchia Signora have had on him is unbelievable.

Even with Zidane in the team, Juventus failed to even make it to the Champions League when Alex was out for 10 long months. Players came, footballers were made, many of them left, but there was only one who stuck around for this long. During the Calciopoli, ‘abandon the sinking ship’, they said to the captain, who had paradise on one hand by winning the World Cup and hell on the other at the sight of playing for the Black and White in Serie B. He stayed. The captain sunk with the ship that helped him get through the worst of storms, the rough waves in the past. The captain replied when asked the reason for staying:

“A true gentleman never leaves his lady.”

Such is the greatness of the man who was going to lead the team back into the league a year later. Since then, he has broken many records, created many in his name, put Amauri’s name on the assists chart when he single-handedly beat Real Madrid in Europe’s elite competition on two consecutive occasions. He would lead the team to winning the Scudetto, a few years later.

What makes him so unique? He can take a gunshot for the team, which is evident in the way he has sacrificed his place on numerous occasions in the starting line up for the likes of Ibrahimovic, Amauri and Borriello when asked to do so. He stuck by a team that was demoted to the Serie B, finished seventh in the league on two continuous occasions, failed to qualify for the Champions League on numerous occasions – sacrificing desires such as fame, money and glory.

Pinturicchio has often shown such great qualities. Juventus are playing Lecce in the 2011-2012 season, fighting for the top spot against Berlusconi’s mafia. Leading 1-0 till the closing stages, Super Gigi makes the mistake of gifting the goal to the team in yellow. The whole team is demotivated. Pirlo, usually calm, is frustrated at this. Del Piero, on as a substitute, having been on the field for very little time, runs to Buffon at this incident from the opponent’s box to the defence, giving him a high five. This level of dedication towards the greatest goalkeeper of the modern era is what makes Alex different from anyone. Buffon needed that bit of confidence; not many realise that bit of inspiration was actually the revival of Gigi as a top custodian at goal. This is what brings tears to the eyes of Juventinos. Regardless of the motive of Alex being left out of the team at the end of the season, he is still a part of Juventus, not on paper… in their hearts… in the hearts of everyone associated to Juventus.

He moved on to a country where football is known as soccer. He may have still played in Europe for any other team, but he decided not to. He joined a team that was formed on the same day as Juventus. He was forced to leave the club to promote football along the Pacific Ocean. Alex has contributed a lot to the world, be it raising funds for the earthquake in Japan or playing in charity games. There will always be “the next Maradona” or “the future Pele”, but there will never be a glimpse of another Alessandro Del Piero.

Alex has been wishing the team and the captain success, via social network. Alex will definitely want the fans to vouch for their team even in his absence rather than staying stuck and cribbing over his departure. Tears have been shed, some at the joy of the role model lifting the Champions League, others at the departure of the saviour. If football is a religion, Del Piero is a God and Juventus is the place of worship.

This is an everlasting relationship that will never come to an end… This is the relationship of our greatest player and our club.