Claudio Marchisio explains he chose the Zenit St Petersburg number 10 as a tribute to his childhood idol, Alessandro Del Piero.
The former Juventus midfield spent 25 years with the club before being unceremoniously being shipped off to Zenit this summer.
“It was a very intense period, everything was done in a short time,” Marchisio told Sky.
“I always used my head though and tried to make the right decision, I wanted to find a new team to play more, so we made this decision with no regrets, because life goes on. There’s still a big desire to keep winning.
“I’d already spoken with [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Andrea] Barzagli in the dressing room and their advice was very important.
“Now I’m thinking about the present, because Zenit want to get back to winning and that’s everyone’s objective.
“We want to go as far as we can in the Europa League and bring the league title back here to St Petersburg.
“The number 10? I chose it for various reasons, chiefly Alessandro Del Piero. He was my idol ever since I was a child, and the number was available, I came in when the season was already underway.
“I don’t consider myself a true number 10, I have a different role, but I’m attached to this number and there was the chance to wear it.”
