Remembering Alessandro Del Piero's Tumultuous International Career

Alessandro Del Piero is often identified as the greatest player ever to pull on the famous black-and-white-striped shirt of Juventus, a living embodiment of the spirit and style of Turin’s grand Old Lady.

His contribution to the history of the Bianconeri and connection with the club’s supporters was discussed at length in a previous post, with his birthday earlier in November offering the perfect opportunity to recall Del Piero’s sheer brilliance.

Yet as fondly remembered as he his for his contributions at club level, the same cannot be said of his time with Italy. Indeed, if Juve’s monochromatic colour scheme brought the best from Del Piero, then for many years, the royal blue of the Azzurri appeared to act as his kryptonite.

His talent was recognised from an early age, with Del Piero representing his country at under-17, under-18 and under-21 level, making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 16 goals but never helping those sides to clinch any honours.

Having made his debut for Juventus in 1993, he would wait almost two years for his first full international appearance. Arrigo Sacchi handed him his maiden cap at the age of 20. The former AC Milan boss introduced the young striker during a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match against Estonia on March 25, 1995, with the Azzurri running out 4-1 winners.

Playing another match in that same group in November of that year, Del Piero netted his first goal for Italy, a deflected effort against Lithuania. He followed that up with an assist for Gianfranco Zola just minutes later, with the former Chelsea and Parma man netting a hat-trick and leading the team to the 4-0 victory shown below.

Del Piero had made a good impression, prompting his inclusion for the tournament proper in England. In the first of many international disappointments, a start against Russia marked his only appearance that summer. He was substituted at half-time and watched from the sidelines as Italy crashed out in the group stage.

He rebounded quickly, inspiring Juventus to three consecutive UEFA Champions League final appearances and carrying that form into the 1997 Tournoi de France, a warm-up competition for the impending FIFA World Cup.

The Bianconeri star would shine despite new coach Cesare Maldini’s Italy finishing in last place, claiming top-scorer honours with three goals, netting twice against Brazil and bagging a penalty against France.

As can be seen in the video above, he was superb in the first of those two matches. However, he suffered an injury that left him out of form by the time the World Cup began 12 months later. Del Piero had replaced Roberto Baggio as the idol of Juve fans and as the club’s No. 10, but the Divine Ponytail enjoyed a much better tournament on the game’s biggest stage.

Assists for Christian Vieri against Cameroon and Austria could not mask Del Piero’s lack of fitness and overall poor play, and Maldini repeatedly took him off as Italy advanced to the quarter-finals, where they faced hosts France.

The match ended 0-0 after extra time, with the Azzurri eliminated on penalties and their opponents going on to lift the trophy. The Juve man was criticised for a poor performance prior to being replaced by Baggio in the second half, but much worse was to come.

By the time Euro 2000 began, Del Piero had lost his place in the starting XI to AS Roma’s Francesco Totti, and the Giallorossi skipper would deliver in spectacular fashion throughout the tournament.

Del Piero’s first start came against Sweden, setting up a goal for Luigi Di Biagio and putting the Azzurri on their way to a 2-1 victory. He also scored himself, skipping past two players before curling the ball into the top corner with his left foot. The display ensured he returned to the lineup for the semi-final against the Netherlands after appearing as a substitute in the quarter-final win over Romania.

Italy won the clash with the Oranje on penalties, meaning a rematch with France awaited in the final. Marco Delvecchio gave the Azzurri the lead, and they dominated the game. Two wonderful chances came Del Piero’s way, but he wasted them both.

Had he scored either, his side would almost certainly have won, but a late strike from Sylvain Wiltord sent the match into extra time, and David Trezeguet’s Golden Goal clinched the trophy for Les Bleus.

The next six years saw Italy and Del Piero experience few high points together. The Juve captain's goal against Hungary sealed qualification for the 2002 World Cup, only for the Azzurri to be sensationally eliminated in the second round by South Korea.

Qualification for Euro 2004 saw him net five times in six matches, but in the finals, Italy would be knocked out in the group stage after disappointing displays against Bulgaria, Sweden and Denmark.

At the 2006 World Cup, however, that would all change, as both the player and his team would finally have their moment in the sun. Del Piero had once again been dropped in favour of Totti but made his contribution from the bench in spectacular fashion in the semi-final win over host nation Germany.

Curling a wonderful shot beyond goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in trademark fashion, the emotion and frustration of over a decade of failure with his country appeared to flow from Del Piero in his celebration.

Meanwhile, then-Oasis star Noel Gallagher revealed his unlikely role in the strike during an interview with the official FIFA website, recounting his meeting with the striker earlier that day:

It was the first time I'd seen Italy play and before the game we went to the hotel and Del Piero was a bit upset because he wasn't starting but he then said, 'I'm going to come off the bench and score!' After the game he said I'd become his lucky mascot so I've got to go to the Final and wear the exact same clothes and underwear and socks to bring him good luck.

It seems the superstitious approach paid off, with the Azzurri winning on penalties. Del Piero netted his spot-kick in the shootout, realising a lifelong dream of lifting that most prestigious of trophies.

"The final, when you take the cup and lift it to the sky, it's beautiful," he told CNN in an interview in 2015. "I can't hide that my greatest victory is the World Cup. Since you're a kid, you think you want to win that. It was massive."

He lost his place over the following two seasons but returned to the squad at Euro 2008 after a nine-month absence. Sadly, normal service had resumed, and Del Piero could not help Italy find their way past quarter-final opponents Spain, marking his last major tournament appearance.

On September 10, 2008, came his final outing for the Azzurri. He set up a goal for Daniele De Rossi, helping the side to a 2-0 win over Georgia. He had amassed 91 caps, netting 27 goals along the way—a tally only bettered by Luigi Riva (35), Giuseppe Meazza (33) and Silvio Piola (30).

Retiring as joint-fourth on the list of Italy's all-time leading scorers and as a World Cup winner, it is hard to criticise his international career. However, there is an inescapable feeling that he could and perhaps should have done so much more.

He will never be remembered as fondly by followers of the Azzurri as he is in Turin, but perhaps given Juve’s status among fans of other clubs, that was always going to be the case.