Alessandro del Piero has not yet kicked a competitive ball for his new club but already the magic dust is rubbing off on his Sydney FC team-mates.
Those who questioned the wisdom of the A League franchise pushing the boat out to land the 37-year-old need only to speak to the likes of teenage midfielder Terry Antonis and another of Sydney's young guns, Joel Chianese.
He was never the quickest over the first five yards, but del Piero has always been blessed with technique and vision and punters betting on soccer will certainly consider him when it comes to predicting the first goalscorer. He always had that unique ability to find his own space - the kind of quality that only the very best possess.
A World Cup and Champions League winner, he has only spent a few days' training alongside his new team-mates but sources indicate the Juventus icon has taken to this new, and possibly final, phase of his distinguished career like a duck to water.
Australia Under-19s captain Antonis said he had "no words for it" and added he hoped del Piero would have a "massive impact" on the club going forward, with the A-League title and qualification for the AFC champions league a definite aim.
It is to his personal credit that the veteran of six Serie A titles kept himself in shape when it appeared his time in football was at an end.
He has not trained with a professional team since leaving the Old Lady in May but kept fit with his personal trainer and a local team in Turin – another indication that those who reach the top of the game often put in the most work which the public never sees.
That other ingredient is perfection.
Chianese summed it up perfectly when he asserted "if he doesn't do something perfect, you can see that he's not happy with himself and that he wants to get it right. You can see that he's a player who wants perfection out of his game".
No comments:
Post a Comment