Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has opened doors to a possible return to the club in the near future.
Del Piero, who joined the Bianconeri in 1993 from Padova for a transfer fee of €2.6 million, spent 19 years in Turin before leaving them in 2012 for Sydney FC in Australia.
During a detailed interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Del Piero addressed various topics from the game involving the A-League stars against Juventus to his plans for the future.
“I’m glad and proud to be able to receive Juventus,“ he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. ”It will be a feast not only for me but this is also an important evening for Australian football.
“The other night at the gala dinner I gave some advice to Gianluigi Buffon, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo on what to see and where to go. The game against Juve will be an encounter far away from any sort of tensions.
“It is a game in which there will be no opponents but just friends. It will only be a party, to be precise. There will be a willingness from both the sides to play a good game and fight for a good result.
“None of us wants to make a bad impression especially after Juventus beat the Indonesian All Stars 8-1.”
The highly coveted Italian attacker also spoke of the uneasiness in which he might have to score past Buffon while also complimenting Carlos Tevez
“I am the first penalty taker of the team that the coach has appointed, so I should get him to force me. Seriously, I would find it a bit difficult and uneasy to score with Gigi in front of me as it would be hard for many reasons.
“I have always admired Carlos Tevez and we have reciprocated respect. I don’t know if I will exchange shirts with him after the game as I don’t believe in organizing situations.
“I will leave it to my instinct to prevail.”
Del Piero also spoke about a possible return to Juventus.
“Returning to Juventus is one of the options for the future. I have never uttered the word ‘no’ about returning to Juve.
“It depends on how things proceed and I never place restrictions to any solution. My home is in Turin and I’m very attached to planet Juventus. That is to do with my future and right now I only think of the present.
“I might be coming back to Juve but not as a player.”
The illustrious Juventus captain eventually spoke of his future plans as a professional footballer.
“When I returned to Sydney last week with my family, our friends told us ‘Welcome home’. I feel at home over here and I bring my heart.
“My wife Sonia will be present in the stands in the game against Juve. She feels what I feel and she has always followed me throughout my career so passionately. It’s clear that her strength is another perspective.
“She will be the hostess of a historical event. And then there are our children who come into the field with me. Our family has again been upheld in a wonderful way and it is a beautiful gratification.
“USA and Japan are two concrete and valid options for me. There are others as well. In order to decide about my future, I have to consider many things.
“First factor is my son Tobias, who starts school next year. Then, I will have to look at the timing of the beginning of the championships. Some of them start in the summer while others in October.
“There are also some Championships in January. I have to also consider my involvement in the AFC Asian Cup as a global ambassador. However, I am not ready for a role at the FIGC.
“I still want to play on the field.”
