Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero (49 years old), world champion and winner of 6 Scudetto titles with Italian Juventus, revealed that he received two English offers, but his love for “Juventus” was greater.
He said before participating in the “Soccer Aid” charity match on Sunday with the “Rest of the World” team against the England team: “Yes, I received two offers from Newcastle and Manchester United, but nothing happened in the end. I was the captain of Juventus and I was happy in it, and he is everything to me. I have been supporting him since childhood. I was not looking for more money or something bigger than playing for Juventus. He also gave me a good wage and I stayed there for 19 years. I carried his badge and lived with him in heaven and hell. I am happy with my career with him. It is a unique story and a unique journey.
Manchester United tried to buy Del Piero in 2006 after the Italian team was relegated due to a match-fixing scandal. United coach Sir Alex Ferguson was a fan of the legend, who recently presented the Italian Cup to his former team, but Del Piero remained loyal and led the team to return to Serie A. He said: “I do not regret my choices, including staying after relegation. “It was a difficult decision, but I’m still glad I made it.”
Del Piero scored 290 goals since joining Juventus in 1993, and after leaving Italy in 2012, he played in Sydney Australia and the Indian League before retiring in 2014. Del Piero represented the Azzurri 91 times and ranks fourth on the top scorer’s record with 27 international goals.