Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero reflects on his matches against Real Madrid, including his standing ovation at the Bernabeu.
The Bianconeri take on the Spanish champions in the Champions League final this Saturday, and the former striker reflected on his meetings with them in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“How many times did I play Juve-Real in my head as a kid?” Del Piero considered.
“Many times, I assure you. Real Madrid are ‘the team’, like Brazil, like the Lakers. Real Madrid and Juventus. The best.
Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero reflects on his matches against Real Madrid, including his standing ovation at the Bernabeu.
The Bianconeri take on the Spanish champions in the Champions League final this Saturday, and the former striker reflected on his meetings with them in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“How many times did I play Juve-Real in my head as a kid?” Del Piero considered.
“Many times, I assure you. Real Madrid are ‘the team’, like Brazil, like the Lakers. Real Madrid and Juventus. The best.
“At first I remember them as the club which beat the Italians, before [Arrigo] Sacchi’s Milan came along.
“Then they beat us too. But we came back. And I hope on Saturday another beautiful Bianconeri page can be written.
“Three highlights from facing them? Standing ovation, standing ovation, standing ovation. That night at the Bernabeu was one of the biggest emotions of my career.
“But also the scream of the Delle Alpi when we beat Real in the semi-final in 2003. I’ve never heard such a strong one.
“The 1998 final? Every lost final is a wound. Of course it burned so much. Our Juve was an incredible team, probably at the top of our cycle.”
Del Piero was also asked if he expected Zinedine Zidane to move into Coaching.
“Now it’s easy to say yes. Of course as a friend I’m not impartial, I really like Zizou as a man first and then as a professional.
“All I can say is that someone who thinks about football has he does must have great ideas. What’s convinced me more about him though is how he has adapted, knowing the team well in the ‘Real mode’.
“I mean how he coaches a group of extraordinary champions, great soloists.
“It’s the ability to know how to adapt to the type of team you’re coaching, the relationship he has established with the champions.
“He has the ability to almost stay in the margins at times – he, who was an absolute star on the pitch, a phenomenon – but be credible and authoritative in his choices.
“He reminds me of Ancelotti a bit, and I think he was inspired by Carlo too.”