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Alessandro Del Piero is undoubtedly one of soccer's
greatest talents,
and he'll want to finally prove that in this World Cup.
Del Piero was expected to be the star for Italy at
France '98, but the Juventus striker suffered an ill-timed
ankle injury late in the 1997-98 season, which left
him less than fit for the 1998 World Cup. Teammate and
fellow striker Christian Vieri stole the spotlight with
five goals.
Since then, Del Piero's luck on the international stage
hasn't improved.
A knee ligament injury forced him out for almost the
entire season in the lead-up to Euro 2000. He only started
two games at that tournament and failed to register
a goal.
Del Piero made his Italian league debut for Juventus
in September of 1993 and made his international debut
in the 4-1 Euro 96 qualifying win over Estonia on March
25, 1995.
He led Juventus to the Champions Cup in 1995-96 and
had to settle for runner-up in 1997 and 1998, the same
year he was the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League
with 10 goals.
A player with tremendous power that belies his five-foot-eight
frame, Del Piero has the ability to win games by himself,
especially on set pieces. The 27-year-old can also play
in the midfield and is a threat to score from almost
anywhere on the pitch.
Along with Vieri, Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi,
Del Piero is part of a fearsome foursome of potent scoring
threats up front for Italy, the marquee players on a
team much better known for its tight-fisted defence.
But true to form, it hasn't been an ideal season leading
up to the World Cup for the temperamental Juventus striker.
He was criticized by fans of the Turin club for his
mediocre play during the Italian Serie A league season,
so much so that national coach Giovanni Trapattoni implored
fans to restore their faith in the star forward.
But the best way to win back skeptical fans will be
to finally break out of his big-tournament jinx.
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