Juventus Legend Alessandro Del Piero has signed with Sydney FC
Today marks one of the biggest signings in the Hyundai A-League. The Australian top flight has pulled a major coup by signing former Juventus main-stay Alessandro Del Piero to 2 year deal. He will wear number 10 for the side, which begins it's domestic league campaign next month.
The move has been rumored for much of the summer, but competition for his signature emerged from England as both Southampton and Liverpool had been said to have presented offers to the 37 year old. However, in the end, the lure of of Australia sealed the deal for Del Piero.
"This is a very big moment for me because I want to continue my career
in a new part of the world where I can make a major contribution and
help grow the game I love."
A-League fans should enjoy watching the stylings of Del Piero, who has 91 caps for the Italian National Team. His resume is long, including winning both the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup. He scored 289 goals in 704 appearances at Juventus, where he won the Italian Serie A six times.
For someone such as myself, that follows and loves both Major League Soccer and the Hyundai A-League, it's very easy to draw a comparison between this move and the move of David Beckham to the LA Galaxy some years back. I do think it's the same caliber of move, though I stand by my thought that at this point in it's development the A-League is actually a little ahead of where MLS was 7-8 years in. Hopefully with the Gold Coast situation seemingly behind them and the addition of the new West Sydney Club, the league can find stability in it's membership, something that MLS struggled with at times as well. If Del Piero can stay healthy at 37, he should help move some more people through the gates, providing that International star that many fans seem to crave seeing.
This really should be a banner season in Australia.
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