Shinji Ono and Alessandro Del Piero will be part of the A-League no more when season 10 kicks off later this year, if you believe the rumours. So what have they added to the league and have they lived up to the hype?
Lauded as nothing short of Gods in their homelands of Japan and Italy, Ono and Del Piero both came to the A-League looking for their next challenge. Del Piero in particular spoke of wanting to create a legacy when questioned why he chose the A-League over more lucrative offers in Europe from the likes of Liverpool.
Many questioned the price tag that came with the Juventus legend which was upwards of $2 million per season. But 18 months on I don’t think anyone can say that he wasn’t worth every cent.
The abundance of Sydney FC jerseys flaunting Del Piero’s number 10 as well as the increase in membership more than cover and justify the money spent. Even if it roughly equates to $100,000 per game when missed games through injury are factored in.
The soon to be 40 year old has single handedly lifted Sydney FC’s performances and has masked over their inferiority over the past season and a half.
Without Del Piero Sydney would be scraping away near the bottom of the table, which is position they may still occupy by season’s end.
Already we are seeing players from other clubs doing the Del Piero, putting your body between the ball and your defender to win cheap free kicks. Defenders across the league have become smarter as well.
Not diving in and giving away stupid free kicks, rather choosing the right time to dispossess their opponent.
As well as that he has hogged plenty of attention in news headlines putting the A-League into the mainstream media in Australia and gaining recognition worldwide.
Australians got a full appreciation of how fortunate we are to have the Italian World Cup winner on our shores when Sydney FC travelled to Italy for their preseason. The locals came out in droves to see Del Piero in the streets and on the field, something that wouldn’t happen in Australia no matter what the sport or sportsperson.
Shinji Ono has had less of a burden to carry at Western Sudney. Tony Popovic has set his team up in a way where there isn’t an over reliance on one player.
That being said, “genius” as he is known in Japan is one special player. Ono gives the Wanderers an edge that other players don’t and can’t.
His skill and craft particularly in the final third are perfectly complimented by the hard running, hard tackling, raw speed and goal scoring prowess all around him. Ono doesn’t shirk his defensive workload, Popovic simply wouldn’t have it, but he certainly does his best work with ball at feet and plenty of running around him.
Ono has definitely brought fans to Wanderland, particularly in the early days when it wasn’t the parochial spectacular it is now. In addition he has engaged the Japanese community in Sydney.
Having qualified for the Asian Champions League it’s disappointing that one of the most recognisable figures in Asian football won’t get the chance to take the Wanderers into Asia particularly against Kawasaki Frontale in his native Japan.
It was a landmark occasion for the A-League to bring in players of Ono, Del Piero and even Heskey’s quality and while they were all past their prime when they arrived they’ve raised the standard of the A-League to another level.
They’ve all paved the way for other world-class players to spend the latter stages of their career in the A-League and hopefully they speak highly enough of the league to encourage others to follow their adventure.
The Wanderers and Sydney FC must be applauded for gambling on these two and the other A-League clubs should take note of how to use the marquee spot effectively.
For Sydney FC it will be a bitter sweet moment when Del Piero leaves. He is a world-class player but there is a huge over reliance on him and we will really see what Frank Farina’s all about once he goes.
As for the Wanderers, they will miss Ono but he is just one cog in a very well oiled machine. Aaron Mooy will get a chance to show what he’s learnt from Ono and play in the number ten role which is better suited to him than holding midfield.
There’s no doubt that Ono and Del Piero will leave a legacy and in ten and twenty years time we’ll be saying. Remember when those two legends of the game played in the A-League.
So sayonara, buona sera and thanks for the memories.
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