On the final day of the 2011/12 campaign, Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero played his last Serie A match for the club.
The legendary Number 10 bowed out with a goal against Atalanta and then lifted the Scudetto trophy in his final appearance at the Allianz Stadium.
That season saw the 2006 World Cup winner put an end to an unparalleled 19-year stint in Turin as the management opted against renewing his contract, causing outrage amongst supporters.
During his appearance at the Festival dello Sport, Claudio Marchisio revealed how he and his teammates didn’t even want to take the pitch on Del Piero’s farewell as they were too emotional to play.
“None of us wanted to play that match, we had a gathering the eve of the match to celebrate Del Piero. Only he and [third-choice goalkeeper Alex] Manninger wanted to play,” said the legendary midfielder via La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We hid while Antonio Conte was setting the formation on the blackboard. We were celebrating the Scudetto after a long time, but we were all emotional about Ale’s farewell. A moment I will never forget.”
Moreover, Marchisio recalled Paul Pogba’s arrival at Juventus in 2012, saying it only took them a couple of days to realize the potential of the Frenchman who was a teenager at the time.
“It only took us 48 hours to understand how strong Pogba was at the time. As soon as he arrived, he cemented his place in the squad. Sometimes I had to remain on the bench to let him play.”
