It only seems like yesterday that Alessandro Del Piero was wowing Italian audiences as a teenage sensation for Juventus, but time soon passes and the former Golden Boy turned 40 on Sunday. Throughout most of his glittering career, his great rival on the pitch - although a good friend off it - was Roma icon Francesco Totti. The pair often competed for the Italy No.10 jersey and rarely played together in the same Azzurri team. At club level the duo were involved in some fascinating Juventus versus Roma tussles. Fans of both clubs, as well as neutrals, have long debated who was the greater footballer. Two ofGoals writers go head to head on the issue..The true barometer of a players greatness is in how they perform individually against the best opponents, in the toughest tournaments and in the most daunting arenas. Undoubtedly the Champions League represents that environment, and the fact that Alessandro Del Piero is widely recognised as one of the finest players to have graced the competition is testament to his class. Right from his time as the Bianconeris protege up until his days as the Turin teams talisman, Del Piero lit up Champions League games on a regular basis. The Italian is one of the top 10 Champions League scorers of all time – Francesco Totti is not even among the first 50 - having lifted the trophy once and been a losing finalist on three further occasions. There are a series of displays scattered across his 89 Champions League appearances which confirm his standing as a better player than the mercurial Totti. On four separate occasions Del Piero has been solely responsible for putting Real Madrid to the sword. In 1995-96, the then 21-year-old helped overturn a 1-0 quarter-final first-leg deficit by scoring one and setting up the decider as Juve went on to taste ultimate glory. In 2003 he delivered a stunning semi-final second-leg masterclass, scoring a brilliant individual goal to send the Old Lady through to yet another final. Then, five years later, Del Piero hit a sensational 30-yard strike in a 2-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico before a magnificent double in the return earned him a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd. Lest we forget the truly world-class hat-trick he scored against Monaco in the 1998 semi-final and countless of other outstanding performances - and here you have a player of undisputed genius.Unlike Totti, Del Piero showcased his ability at the highest level – and that is whyPinturicchiowill always be the greatest artist of the two. In terms of trophies, there is no contest between Del Piero and Totti. But, as Fabio Capello once famously said: One Scudetto in Rome is worth 10 in Turin. Del Piero was always supported by a world class cast – from Zinedine Zidane and Edgar Davids to Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. Totti, on the other hand, was the talisman for a club that did not boast Juves wealth and backing. For the 38-year-old to be Serie As second highest scorer in history and close to an unparalleled 200 career assists is an incredible achievement given Romas limitations. Both players were technically flawless, but Totti was blessed with truly unique natural ability - the backheels, the through-passes, the chips, the Panenka penalties. The Roman could do and see things ADP couldnt. It is no coincidence that Totti was twice named Serie A footballer of the year and Del Piero never was. Totti was tactically more flexible – excelling as a trequartista, a support striker, a lone frontman, in the middle of a trident or as Europes first high-profile false 9. Del Piero was only comfortable in a front two and didnt possess Tottis physical strength. This is whyEr Puponewas always preferred to Del Piero for Italy. Neither reserved their best form for the Azzurri, but the Roma man was one of the stars of Euro 2000 - man-of-the-match in a final that Del Piero blew by squandering two sitters. During the 2006 World Cup triumph, a half-fit Totti had the most assists in the tournament. Del Pieros contribution was a memorable if somewhat insignificant semi-final goal against Germany and a penalty in the final shootout. In seven major tournaments for Italy, you can count on one hand Alexs truly positive moments. The Juventus hero, of course, was offered more of a platform to showcase his club brilliance in Europe – and he rarely disappointed in this theatre. Make no mistake about it, he is a legend of our sport. But, as Italy icon Gianni Rivera said: Totti is better than Del Piero, and even better than me.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 05:25:53 +0000
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