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I had a scenario in my head for Alessandro Del Piero that went something like this – the great man retires from football at the end of the current A-League season.
The All Stars versus Juventus match becomes the ADP testimonial and he plays one half of football for both teams.
He is then offered an assistant coaching role at Sydney FC and the world is a better place.
Now the scenario probably works better if it was Sydney FC playing Juventus given ADP’s entire professional career (save for 14 games with Padova) has been with those two clubs.
But this week it was revealed that Del Piero was to captain the All Stars, which might be just the thing to make sure the concept works, given the first incarnation in 2013 against Manchester United could more accurately have been described as the “Some-Stars”.
However it plays out, the entire A-League should get on bended knee and thank Del Piero for his immense contribution to the sport here. I can shame-facedly admit that I thought initially the arrival of Del Piero would not be as significant as that of Harry Kewell.
Lord, how wrong I was.
Del Piero’s first home game for Sydney FC against the Newcastle Jets on October 13, 2012 drew 36,000 fans.
The SCG/SFS Trust reported that it marked the biggest one-day sale of merchandise in the history of the venue.
Sydney FC shirts with “Del Piero” on the back were everywhere. Within a fortnight, he’d virtually paid back his salary and Sydney FC CEO Tony Pignata was hailed as the Messiah by fans.
In that last regard, times seem to have changed.
In his first season with the club, Del Piero lit up football grounds around the country. He scored memorable goals and his skill, touch and vision were on show for almost every game of the A-League season.
He withstood the demands of a physical competition played in a warmer climate on his late 30s body and was Sydney FC’s top scorer and easy vote as player of the year.
There seems to have been an element of “second season syndrome” attitude regarding ADP’s on-field contribution to the Sky Blues in this current season.
Let’s be honest, Sydney FC’s season has been frustrating at best, shambolic at worst, but I shudder to think just how much worse it would have been without Del Piero.
Not just on the field either.
Despite their terrible inconsistency, FC have managed to average over 15,000 fans to home games and the Del Piero factor is a huge reason for the level of support.
Significantly for the A-League, Sydney FC are the second highest “away” drawing club with an average of more than 14,000. Once again, Alessandro Del Piero’s name on the team sheet is a big reason for this.
He has stuck with a club in crisis when it was rumoured he would walk away during the January transfer window.
It is indicative of the man, who refused to leave Juventus at the height of the match-fixing drama despite the club dubbed “The Old Lady” being forcibly relegated to Serie B.
“A true gentleman never leaves his lady” was ADP’s famous quote from the time.
ADP, it is apparent, is a man who will not leave a sinking ship.
There are reports that Sydney FC are undecided about a contract extension for Del Piero beyond this season.
To me, the choice is simple: if Del Piero can contribute at his current level on the pitch, what’s printed on his birth certificate is totally meaningless.
Off the pitch he always contributes. He is a thoughtful, articulate speaker who displays no outward hostility or ego and as far as I can find, has never made comments to undermine the position of his coach, nor criticised his teammates.
He has recently lent his name to a campaign to combat homophobia and is, by all measurements, the greatest example of a “marquee” player that the A-League could possibly hope for.
Sydney FC and the A-League as a whole need to make sure that Alessandro Del Piero remains a part of the Australian football landscape, in a playing, coaching and/or ambassadorial capacity.
To look this gift horse in the mouth would be a mistake worth walking out over.
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