Time seems to stop when Alessandro Del Piero is at the Allianz Stadium, with the majority of the crowd more interested in the Juventus legend than the game itself, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.
When Del Piero played his last game in a Juventus shirt more than 10 years ago, on May 13, 2012, the whole crowd literally stopped caring about what was going on inside the pitch, where the Bianconeri were playing the final game of the season after winning the first Serie A title after the Calciopoli scandal.
The Allianz Stadium crowd gave Del Piero a hero’s farewell, with a standing ovation that last more than 30 minutes, while the former striker walked around the pitch to say goodbye to his fans. It took so long that at some point one would think he was talking to them one by one.
During his 19-year-spell in Turin, Del Piero became a club icon, not only because he scored more goals and played more games than anyone else in the history of the Old Lady, but also because he accepted to play in Serie B in 2006-07, months after becoming World Champion with Italy.
This is something Juventus fans have never forgotten, and the same is true for Gigi Buffon, David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved.
The first time Del Piero returned to the Allianz Stadium after his last match with Juventus was almost 10 years later.
The former striker attended a Serie A match between Juventus and Bologna in April 2022 and was overwhelmed by the love of the Bianconeri fans, who still see him as the ‘one and only captain.’
Whenever Del Piero arrives at the Allianz Stadium, Juventus supporters seem to only have eyes for him, sometimes ignoring what happens inside the pitch.
The legendary No.10 has returned to the Allianz Stadium twice in the last week. First for a Serie A match against Hellas Verona and then for the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter. Well, every time he returns home, time seems to stop to May 2012.
On Tuesday night, while Juventus were facing their harshest rivals Inter, everyone in the main stand turned to Del Piero once they heard the Curva Sud singing his name. The chant for the 48-year-old was always the same: ‘C’è solo un capitano’ – ‘There is only one captain.’ At that point, people just cared about watching their idol in the stands with their backs to the pitch, waiting for him to wave to them or just do something to repay the love.
After Juan Cuadrado’s opener in the second half, Del Piero was mentioned again, with ultras in Curva Sud begging him to ‘jump’ with them. Once again, ADP became the main attraction, much more important than the game itself.
Most Juventus fans hope to see Del Piero even more frequently at the Allianz Stadium, possibly with an operative role at the club. He’s been mentioned as a potential heir to Pavel Nedved, another Juventus legend, who resigned in November alongside Andrea Agnelli and the rest of the board following a financial investigation from the Turin Prosecutor.
It remains to be seen if Del Piero will ever come back to the club with an official appointment or if he will only sporadically return to Turin from Los Angeles, where he lives, owns a restaurant and works to develop the Bianconeri Academy in the American city.
Surely, there isn’t another Juventus legend fans love more than him, which is proved by the fact that even a game becomes not too relevant when fans can witness their idol back home.
When will he return to ‘his ol’ lady and put it back at the top of Europe?