Alessandro Del Piero thinks that Juventus are the favourites to progress to the Champions League final, but acknowledges that Monaco have their own strengths as a team. Italy's football legend prefers Real Madrid as the opponents of his favourite team if they make the showpiece final.
Del Piero also speaks about retiring at 40, his experience in Italy, India, Australia, his former teammate Antonio Conte and, of course, everything that has to do with his favourite club Juventus.
Sportskeeda caught up with Del Piero recently and here are a few excerpts from the interview.
You live in USA. You go to NBA games and you have met stars like Russell Crowe and Johnny Depp. What are your professional plans now that you have retired as a player?
My career outside the field has begun for a while now, and fortunately, it continues to be full of commitments, interests, passion, and still football, which obviously is always a part of my life. I watch it, I comment, I live it outside of the field although many of my activities take place elsewhere.
Your favourite club, Juventus, are on the right path to secure the sixth consecutive Serie A championship. Can the other teams bridge the gap or do you predict that Juventus will surely win the title?
For this season Juventus are clearly the favourite, but Roma are some points away and they play Juventus at home. Obviously, the gap in relation to the remaining matches is remarkable, but I'm sure the championship will be decided in the end. In the upcoming years, the team will remain a great protagonist.
What was key for Juventus beating Barcelona in the Champions League?
Juventus built the victory at the start, with a brave match, perhaps the best of the season. In the first half, they attacked Barcelona without taking a breath. And in the rest of the game, the defence did the rest, as well as in the return match. It was masterly how the team managed to defend, in fact without running great risks against the strongest offence in the world.
The series against Barcelona showed the quality of Juventus this year. We must admit that in the first match we saw the worst version of Barcelona, as in the previous one against PSG. But the merits of Juventus are certainly superior to the decline of the Blaugrana.
What should Juventus do to beat Monaco?
First, they should not let an enthusiastic, young, exuberant and fearless team like Monaco go strong in the first match, in the home of the Monegasque. It is obvious that Monaco are the team that has less to lose. The first time in Monaco will be crucial. Absolutely, Juventus are the favourites, but the opponents deserve the praise for not coming to Champions League semi-finals by chance.
Which team would you prefer for Juventus in the Champions League final? Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid?
Difficult to choose. I say Real Madrid, but only because of a statistic: never has a team won the Champions League twice, and more specifically in 1996 - when we (Juventus) won the last Champions League - we played against a team that had won the year before, Ajax. Maybe it's good... But first, you have to get there, to the final.
Now that Juventus progressed over Barcelona, do they have a great chance of winning the Champions League?
It is not easy, it is not guaranteed, it will be hard. But there are possibilities. And there are so many. I really wish it.
Gonzalo Higuain is the top scorer of Juventus. Can he be the leader for Juventus in the coming years?
Surely, he is already. I really like the attitude he has in his first season at Juventus. It is understood that he does not only seek a goal, he wants to win, he puts the team above everything else. He did not come to Turin to break goal-scoring records, but to lift trophies; he will succeed.
You stopped playing at 40 years old. Gianluigi Buffon still plays at 39. Do you feel that he can play much more than you, perhaps until 45 since he is a goalkeeper and a goalkeeper’s role inside the field is different from all the other players?
For a goalkeeper, it is different. If he has a good athletic condition and works out well - and in this Gigi is certainly far ahead - he can also play over 40. But you can not judge theoretically, you have to see the facts and decide. At the moment, I think he has already stated his intention to stop with the World Cup in 2018, but if he feels healthy, he might even go further, who knows.
Francesco Totti is 40 and it is uncertain when he will retire. You, Buffon and Totti extended your careers above the average footballer retirement age. Was your huge success your main motivation to continue playing football?
Everything depends on the motivation, of course, if the physical condition is good. I can not speak for others, so I only refer to my case. I played as long as I wanted to do it, having in the final stage of my career the opportunity to have life experiences that have grown me as a player in the field. If I could turn back time, I would certainly do the same.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are considered to be the best football players of this era. Messi will be 30 in June 2017, Ronaldo is 32 since February. How many years do you believe, from your experience, each of them can continue playing at the highest level?
Considering their athletic qualities and their ability to be a hundred percent professional, taking care of every aspect of their field and off-field activities, I am sure that this extraordinary duality at the top of the football can last for a long time. However, there are players like Neymar, or Dybala, who are ready to be their successors.
Antonio Conte, your teammate and former coach of Juventus, is currently having incredible success with Chelsea in Premier League. Is it your opinion that he will eventually win the title with the Blues?
Conte is really one step away from the title; only Tottenham are demonstrating that they can threaten the Blues. One thing is certain: when Conte's team is close to the finish line, they hardly lose their goal. So I think for the second consecutive year an Italian coach will bring his team to the top of the English championship. It is a great satisfaction for Italian football, and I'm personally happy for Antonio.
In our last interview, you had said that you were still receiving offers to play although you had already retired. If you could play again which club would you choose? Juventus and Serie A or another club and championship you have never played in?
Hard to say now; a page is closed in my life and I'm discovering more. Let's say that in Europe, the football I've known for so many years, I would not play with any other jersey. I am happy with the experience in Australia and India; let's say maybe if I went back I would probably accept a proposal from the United States, where I have never played.
Who were your favourite teammates, considering all the teams you have played, and why?
It is a really difficult question - I had so many, and it was a great privilege to play with so many champions and so many great people. I cite, but only to revere so many soccer years, my teammates of Italy's national team in the extraordinary World Cup win in Germany in 2006.
Which defender made your work inside the field more difficult, in your whole career?
I had had many defenders who had forced me into big and exciting duels; it would be a long list. As absolute quality, I have to remember one of my generation and that was Paolo Maldini, one of the greatest defenders in history, of great value, not only as a football player but as a human as well.
You played in Indian Super League and A-League in Australia. Many leagues, such as these, follow similar paths to develop. Turkish Super Lig and Chinese Super League are among them too. Does any of these leagues have the potential of matching one of the top five European leagues - Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga - or it is very difficult?
Even important economic investments can not substitute the tradition, which is something that can not be bought. But I'm sure if the emerging leagues, for example, Chinese, will be able to involve the audience and thus create enthusiasm around the championship, then it will be easier. I mean that the fact that the big names were bought at a fair price was something fundamental, but to create a great league requires the interest of the country that hosts it; it must also come from within.
