Del Piero ready for final Juve bow

by DeviAngel Sat May 19, 2012 7:15 pm

Alessandro Del Piero admits facing his final match for Juventus will be emotional in the Coppa Italia Final against Napoli.

His contract has not been renewed and the captain already said goodbye to the crowd in Turin, but tomorrow evening will be his last ever game in the Bianconeri jersey.

“I don’t know what I will think right before stepping on to the field. I know what I’ll think this evening and throughout tomorrow,” he said in his press conference.

“I will try to find the right concentration, a clear head and isolate myself as much as possible from what is around this magnificent adventure. Basically I’ll try to focus on the Cup and everything one savours on days like this.

“I haven’t tried to picture what it will be like. Everything that has happened up until today has been immensely fantastic, indescribable and I hope tomorrow along with my teammates to write another winning page in the history books.

“I will admit this week, well the last few weeks and even months, have been completely different. However, I can confirm that within me I am focused only on achieving victory. We’ve done it in Serie A and now we have this other great opportunity.

“I don’t want to distract attention from what is this moment, this Final, to be played and experienced in full. I think that is the best thing to do before going into the future. It’s an attitude us young people can embrace,” smiled the 37-year-old.

Del Piero was also asked whether he thought that he deserved another year on his contract.

“I’m afraid I have to repeat myself, because maybe you think I’m just saying this, but it really is the truth. The journey over all these years and my growth in this time brings me to believe the only important thing is the present. That means all that counts is today, at this moment, listening to your questions and tomorrow trying to win.

“After that, there will be the summer vacation and many other things. I’ll have time to think about what I want to do when I grow up.”

Juventus confirmed they will wear a special patch on their jerseys marking the dates of Del Piero’s debut and final game with the words ‘One love.’

“It was the idea of our sponsors who asked if I wanted anything special for the final game. It was a patch where I could put my own mark. I happily accepted and put my logo, my signature and what I have tried to represent in all these years between those two dates.

“It represents the rapport between me and my work and specifically me and Juventus.”

Del Piero revealed he invited Oasis star Noel Gallagher to the Stadio Olimpico as his guest for the Final against Napoli.

“We are simultaneously in the best and worst possible situation, as we are in the Coppa Italia Final and facing a Napoli side of great quality who have proved very hard to beat. Tomorrow we have a tough task ahead of us.

“If we think of how hard we worked to reach this point and the opportunity in front of us, then we will put all our efforts on to the pitch and have what it takes to win. That must be our focus.”