The former Delhi Dynamos defender spoke in awe of the Juventus legend with who he shared a dressing room in 2014….
Many distinguished foreign professional footballers have walked on Indian turf during their time at an Indian Super League (ISL) side. Some stand out due to their incredible achievements with club and country. Some stand out for because of their mesmerising style of play and charismatic presence on the field. Merge them both and you have Alessandro Del Piero.
The Juventus legend is famous for being one of the most complete forwards of his generation. He could score goals, create them and play progressive passes in the build-up. He was also lethal on the dead ball and the only goal he scored for ISL side Delhi Dynamos arrived from a free kick.
Del Piero spent one season with Delhi in which they finished fifth, just one point away from a play-off spot. While his genius on the field is common knowledge, his teammates at Delhi were subject to his kindness and down-to-earth personality first-hand.
Goal caught up with India international Anwar Ali who shared the dressing room with the legend in 2014 to know more about what he offered to the club as a professional and as a person.
The defender was in praise of the Italian forward’s humble self.
“That was the first season of the ISL and it was a big deal for us to play with a big legend such as Alessandro Del Piero. We felt a bit uncomfortable because he was a big player and we did not know how he would treat us. We know how big a legend Del Piero is on the pitch. I realized that he was the same character off the pitch too. I have played alongside and faced many big names in football, but he was the nicest person I have met, followed by (Diego) Forlan. He was very down to earth despite being a great player,” he reminisced.
“He was very polite with us, asked our names, got to know us and ensured we were comfortable in his presence. It took him just two-to-three days to mix with the team. He never discriminated between the foreigners and Indian players. He liked it when we asked him about his experiences.”
Anwar also recalled an incident where the Juventus legend showed that he was just like any other person. Del Piero preached simplicity and led by example.
“Once my family wanted a photo with him. I had just finished my dinner, but he was still having his. I asked my family to wait for him to finish his meal. He noticed that we were eagerly waiting to meet him. He gestured to me, stopped his dinner midway, took photos with us and thanked my parents. I asked him why he did not finish his meal first and he replied that he preferred having his food 10 minutes later rather than make my entire family wait for him. He was a great example,” Anwar said.
Supporting teammates and making them feel comfortable when they commit mistakes plays a huge role in not only maintaining a high morale in the dressing room but also in shaping the career of the youngsters. Del Piero showed how this was done.
“Our coach (Harm van Veldhoven) was great. The training sessions were good, and he communicated with the players very well. Sometimes the coach had to be hard on a player to tell him what was going wrong. Del Piero would then sit separately with the player and try to comfort him and communicate as to what the coach wanted to say. He did this more often with Indian players and comforted them saying even he makes mistakes and it is completely normal.”
One-club legends are hard to find in modern-day football, more so when the legend in question is a World Cup winner and had many offers at a time when the club was relegated to the second division.
Juventus were relegated in 2006 due to an Italian football scandal and were also provided with a nine-point deficit at the beginning of the Serie B season. Top players such as Lillian Thuram, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Fabio Cannavaro left the club in search of top-tier football. But Del Piero stayed, captained the side, finished top scorer in the league with 21 goals and ensured they were promoted that season after winning the league.
“He played for Juventus throughout his career and is considered a legend of the club. Once when we were talking about this and asked him why he did not leave for any other club. He said that he never even considered playing for another club. He started at Juventus and received a lot of love from the people there.
“He received a lot of offers from top clubs when Juventus was relegated to the second division. There were other big players who left the club at that time. But he said that he loved the club too much to leave them during such a bad situation and would have considered himself a coward had he deserted them during a bad phase,” Anwar explained.
The World Cup winner also handed his Delhi teammates a lesson in winning mentality when he equated winning the World Cup with winning the ISL. Winning was primary and the stature of the tournament was immaterial for the Italian.
“Del Piero said that winning the World Cup was a big deal for him and the players. He also said that winning a trophy brings great joy to players, regardless of the stature of the tournament. Whether it is the World Cup, Champions League or ISL, the players must play to win and make it a mentality,” Anwar concluded.
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