To the Ends of the Earth; and Sydney

By Max Grieve

The men in the studio in Sydney were waiting to cross to Turin for the press conference, but Del Piero hadn’t arrived yet, so they spoke about him for half an hour. There were no ad breaks; no montages; just three sports presenters sitting behind a desk talking about a man who none of them seemed to know that much about beyond what they had on papers in front of them.

They spoke of his divine sideburns, of his celestial right foot, of his relationship with the people, of the World Cup – with an inevitable reference to that game. They spoke of his role in Juventus’ 1995 Champions League success, of Calciopoli, and of his ability to send a ball arcing into the far corner of the goal like no other player can. Though they spoke for what seemed like an age whilst waiting to cross to Italy, they never looked like running out of superlatives.

Alessandro Del Piero could have had millions more on the Arabian Peninsula or in China; he could have played in better leagues, but he chose Sydney. It’s not overly difficult to understand why. For the next two years and at the end of his career, Del Piero will live in one of the great cities of the world. He comes to Sydney as the highest-paid footballer – and that’s to include Aussie rules, rugby league and union – in Australian sporting history. He also brings with him the potential to change the status of the game in a sporting nation amongst the best on the planet.

There is a sense in Australia, amongst that relative minority that watches the A-League, that Del Piero could be our Beckham; introducing the national league to new audiences, both domestically and abroad. Indeed, he has the ability to revive the Italian community’s interest in Australian domestic football after a significant period of relative inactivity following the demise of the old National Soccer League and the subsequent decrease in stature of those clubs based largely around ethnic groups such as Italians, Greeks and Croatians.

Unknown to a great majority of Australians until only a few weeks ago, Alessandro Del Piero now has the attention of a nation. It’s all a little strange, and wonderfully exciting.