Piero: I Have Only One Regret in My Career, But It’s Not Related to Juventus

In an interview with CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System), former Juventus captain and Italian national team legend Del Piero pointed out that his biggest regret in his career is the loss in the final of the Millennium European Cup.

“The only regret in my career is the loss in the final of the 2000 European Cup,” said Piero. “Winning a team championship was my main goal, and even from a personal achievement perspective, it would have been wonderful.”

However, when people talk about Piero, they always focus on his Juventus career. Piero pointed out, “The hardest year for me at Juventus? It was the first year, when we failed to win the league title and also didn’t win the UEFA Cup. After that season, there were huge changes within the team, from the coach to the management, everything changed, which brought difficulties.”

In Piero’s career, what is most commendable is that even after the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal, he did not leave Juventus but chose to stay with the team to play in Serie B. Regarding this, Piero said, “In fact, I had been thinking about this a month before I went to Berlin for the World Cup, but I made the decision early on, and it was good. The experience in Serie B seemed unreal to me. After Calciopoli, we wanted to come back and win everything again. I didn’t want to leave Juventus in such a situation. I had to prove something to myself, to the people, to my fans!”

Piero also talked about his teammate Zidane during his playing days: “Zizou is an extraordinary person, an outstanding man, a kind and wonderful person. He headbutted Materazzi? Yes, sometimes at Juventus, he would also have similar reactions after being fouled, but ultimately everything would be resolved with a smile.”

Will Piero return to Juventus in a role in the future? He said, “It would be a beautiful story, something that happened between me and Juventus, it’s hard to imagine it happening with any other player. Someone becomes a legendary player at Juventus, even plays in Serie B, then returns to Serie A and wins again… nineteen years is a very long time!”