"They are true champions and have achieved everything" - Del Piero on the Messi-Ronaldo debate, iconic 'tongue' celebration and VAR [Exclusive]
It's Del Pieroooooooo! How many times have we heard the commentator say that, and see the ball nestle unerringly into the back of the net? One of the true icons of the game, the Italy legend has won every trophy there is to win in football, conquering the Serie A multiple times, the UEFA Champions League, and, of course, the biggest trophy of them all, the FIFA World Cup.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the Juventus legend opened up on plenty of different topics. From loyalty to one club in the modern football landscape to the secrets behind his setpiece brilliance, Del Piero delves into the heart of the beautiful game. He even shared the secret behind his iconic 'tongue' celebration that became synonymous with his success.
He also had a brilliant and heartwarming response to the eternal Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q) In an era where player transfers and movement between clubs are quite common, you stood out as a symbol of loyalty by spending the majority of your career with Juventus. In fact, you remained with the club even during challenging times like the relegation to Serie B. How do you perceive the challenges faced by players today in maintaining such unwavering loyalty to a single club, and what do you think contributes to the rarity of one-club players in modern football?
Del Piero: (Smiles) Times have changed now from when I was playing. It's more difficult now (being loyal to one club), of course, because we have multiple markets, more than before, and people are used to traveling more than before. So, it's easy to find an Italian player, for many reasons, who would go to the US, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan, or South Africa to play. This is because a lot of countries have become better organized. There is more availability, and that's why there's more competition. In this case, it's tougher to stay longer with the team.
But there are still players who can do that. It's good to see them because it is always a nice love story, you know, on the sports side to see one player play a long chunk of their career at just one club.
Q) Who would you consider your favorite teammate during your time with the Italian national team, and similarly, who stands out as your favorite teammate during your illustrious career at Juventus?
Del Piero: I don't think I can pick just one because there are so many teammates I got along well with. Some of them I played with for more than 10 years, and others I knew from before my time at Juve. It's remarkable, to be honest, that I was able to build friendships in a world that is very competitive.
I have shared great memories with a lot of them. Of course, the team of 2006 shares a special place as we have the best memory we can have with the World Cup. But yeah, it wouldn't be correct if I just mention one.
Q) Your set-piece abilities were legendary, and you scored some crucial goals through free-kicks. Do you consider your talent in set-pieces as a natural gift, or was it something you actively trained and developed over your career?
Del Piero: Well, you definitely need to have some kind of chemistry with the ball, yes. And then, always love it? I mean, I grew up in the time when in Italy we had Maradona, Zico, Platini – probably the best three players that could score from setpieces were there. So it was kind of fascinating, you know? This is how I grew up and I was heavily inspired by them.
Q) Can you share the story or inspiration behind your iconic 'tongue' celebration, which became synonymous with your success on the field?
Del Piero: It came out for the first time at Bergamo. It was a spontaneous moment between my wife and a couple of friends. We were joking about celebrations, and then I felt like doing it. A few games later, we had a huge match in Milan, at San Siro, against Inter. Whoever won that game probably would win the league because it was towards the end of the season.
I ended up scoring the winning goal from a set piece, and that's when the 'tongue' celebration became iconic. From then on, I tried to remember to do it when I scored. So, it was a good one, yeah. (Smiles)
Q) I am sure you have been asked this plenty of times - Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Who do you prefer?
Del Piero: I don't think it's fair to pick one of the two because these two guys have absolutely dominated the scene in the last 15 years in a fantastic and unbelievable way, with completely different qualities, as they are entirely different players. So, it's unfair because they are true champions and have achieved amazing things, but I don't think picking one over the other is possible. I would love to see them play on the same team; that would be fun. That's the wish for the future.
Q) Considering the impact of VAR on modern-day football, especially in terms of its advantages and disadvantages, could you share your perspective on how it has influenced the game?
Del Piero: In some aspects, VAR is absolutely incredible. For offside and goal-line decisions, it's great. For other situations, of course, it's challenging. But, you know, I think, in the end, it's a good development for football to become fairer. Probably a couple of things need to be adjusted, like not waiting two minutes for a decision or other aspects.
Similar complaints have arisen in rugby's World Cup. So, the time taken to makes these decisions, definitely need to improve.
Alessandro Del Piero was speaking on the sidelines of the RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India event held at the Padukone-Dravid Center for Sports Excellence in Bangalore.
Note: Alessandro Del Piero's words have been edited slightly for better readability
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