Legendary Italian manager Fabio Capello is hoping that Alessandro Del Piero doesn’t follow the footsteps of his former Juventus teammate Andrea Pirlo.
Il Pinturichio is widely considered the greatest player in the history of the Bianconeri. This claim is certainly backed by the stats, as the 50-year-old still holds the all-time record for the most goals and appearances, and his impeccable loyalty during the club’s most dire moment will never be forgotten.
Nevertheless, even Del Piero found himself facing some personal challenges throughout his iconic 19 years at the club, perhaps never more so than during Capello’s tenure.
Capello & Del Piero didn’t always see eye to eye
The 78-year-old was the Juventus boss between 2004 and 2006, and for a large part of his spell, he preferred to deploy the attacking partnership of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Trezegue, while leaving Alessandro Del Piero on the bench.
“Well, I have to say that there was a period in which Del Piero played very little during my time at Juventus,” admitted the former Real Madrid and England manager in his interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport via IlBianconero.
“As a great professional, however, he always trained to the max, even if he obviously didn’t agree with my choices.
“Here, as happens to all former footballers, if one day he sits on a bench, he will realise what it means to have to make unpopular decisions.”
Capello tell Del Piero to learn from Pirlo’s experience
As we reported earlier this week, Del Piero has now earned his coaching badges which makes him eligible to manage a Serie A club.
Nevertheless, Capello urges the legendary Number 10 to take it slowly and avoid the baptism of fire that Pirlo endured when he was handed the reins at Juventus despite being a rookie.
“I would tell him to avoid rushing things. Maybe start from the youth sector and gradually climb up.
“Take Pirlo as an example: the path planned for him, with Juve’s Under 23, was correct. Then he found himself catapulted into the first team before even starting, and despite winning two trophies, he was sent away.
“But coaching is another profession; it takes time to learn, mature, and gain experience. Footballers, even champions, tend to think with the ‘I’; as a coach, you must only think with the ‘we’.”
