Pyocyanin (PCN−) is one of the many toxic compounds produced and secreted by the Gram negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pyocyanin is a blue secondary metabolite, turning red below pH 4.9, with the ability to oxidise and reduce other molecules and therefore kill microbes competing against P. aeruginosa as well as mammalian cells of the lungs which P. aeruginosa has infected during cystic fibrosis. Since pyocyanin is a zwitterion at blood pH, it is easily able to cross the cell membrane. There are three different states in which pyocyanin can exist: oxidized (blue), monovalently reduced (colourless) or divalently reduced (red). Mitochondria play an important role in the cycling of pyocyanin between its redox states. Due to its redox-active properties, pyocyanin generates reactive oxygen species.

Biosynthesis

Pyocyanin biosynthesis begins with the synthesis of the phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) core. In this reaction the enzyme PhzE catalyzes the loss of the hydroxyl group from C4 of Chorismic Acid as well as the transfer of an amine group from glutamine to form glutamic acid and 2-amino-2-desoxyisochorismic acid (ADIC). Following this, PhzD catalyzes the hydrolytic removal the pyruvate moiety from ADIC to form (5S,6S)-6-amino-5-hydroxy-1,3-cyclohexadieve-1-carboxylic acid (DHHA). In the next step, PhzF catalyzes two steps: the abstraction of a hydrogen from C3 of DHHA, delocalization of the double bond system and reprotonation at C1 as well as enol tautomerization to form the highly unstable 6-amino-5-oxocyclohex-2-ene-1-carboxylic acid (AOCHC). From here two molecules of AOCHC are condensed by PhzB to form the tricyclic compound, hexahydrophenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid (HHPDC). The product of this reaction, HHPDC, is unstable and spontaneously undergoes oxidative decarboxylation in an uncatalyzed reaction to form tetrahydrophenazine-1,6-carboxylic acid (THPCA). In the final step of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid synthesis the enzyme PhzG catalyzes the oxidation of THPCA to dihydro-phenazine-1-carboxylic acid. This is the last catalyzed step in the production of PCA, the last step is an uncatalyzed oxidation of DHPCA to PCA. The conversion of PCA to Pyocyanin is achieved in two enzymatic steps: firstly, PCA is methylated on N5 to 5-methylphenazine-1-carboxylate betaine by the enzyme PhzM using the cofactor S-adenosyl-L-methionine and secondly, PhzS catalyzes the hydroxylative decarboxylation of this substrate to form the final product, Pyocyanin.

The chromosomes of most P. aeruginosa strains carry two nearly identical operons, phzA1B1C1D1E1F1G1 and phzA2B2C2D2E2F2G2, which encode the enzymes required to produce PCA. Transcription of these operons is controlled by quorum sensing, and more specifically by the Pseudomonas Quinolone Signal (PQS) system involving the transcriptional regulator MvfR (also known as PqsR).  Conversion of PCA into pyocyanin is then achieved by the products of phzS and phzS, which are unique genes in the chromosome. Biosynthesis can be impaired by disrupting the aro pathway which is needed for the synthesis of chorismic acid from shikimate.

Redox warfare
Pyocyanin inactivates catalase by reducing its gene’s transcription as well as directly targeting the enzyme itself. Glutathione is an important antioxidant modulated by pyocyanin. In particular the pool of the reduced form is depleted while the oxidised form is promoted by hydrogen peroxide which is not dismutated by catalase.
In the cystic fibrosis lung, intracellular pyocyanin converts molecular oxygen to the superoxide free radical by oxidizing NADPH to NADP+. This has a doubly negative effect on the lungs. Firstly, the NADPH used by pyocyanin depletes the available substrate for the reaction catalysed by the NADPH oxidase enzyme. Secondly, the superoxide radical generated can inhibit cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-13 and IFN-γ, which usually upregulate NADPH oxidase. When the lung is confronted with pyocyanin, an increased concentration of catalase and superoxide dismutase is seen in order to deal with the barrage of radicals being produced.

Targets
Pyocyanin is able to target a wide range of cellular components and pathways. Pathways that are affected by pyocyanin include the electron transport chain, vesicular transport, and cell growth. An enhanced susceptibility to pyocyanin is seen in cells with certain mutant proteins or complexes. Mutations in genes affecting V-ATPase synthesis and assembly, vesicle transport machinery, and protein sorting machinery all confer an increased sensitivity to pyocyanin which further enhances the effects on cystic fibrosis on the patient. Vacuolar- ATPase in yeast cells is a particularly potent target as it is the main non-mitochondrial producer of ATP but also has numerous other functions such as calcium homeostatic control, the facilitation of receptor-mediated endocytosis and the degradation of proteins. Therefore, the inactivation of vacuolar-ATPase by hydrogen peroxide produced by pyocyanin has huge consequences for the lung. Additional to these effects, another target of pyocyanin is caspase 3-like proteases which can then go on to initiate apoptosis and necrosis. Mitochondrial electron carriers ubiquinone and nicotinic acid are also susceptible to pyocyanin. The cell cycle can be disturbed by the action of pyocyanin, and it can hinder the proliferation of lymphocytes. This is done by the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates, such as hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, which cause oxidative stress by directly damaging DNA or by targeting other constituents of the cell cycle such as DNA recombination and repair machinery. Pyocyanin contributes to the disproportion of protease and antiprotease activity by disabling α1- protease inhibitor.

Cystic fibrosis
Many studies have concluded that pyocyanin has a derogatory effect in cystic fibrosis which enables P. aeruginosa to persist in the cystic fibrosis lung; it is often detected in the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients. Pyocyanin in vitro has the ability to interfere with functions such as ciliary beating and therefore cause epithelial dysfunction as the ciliary are needed to sweep mucus up the throat. Additionally, neutrophil apoptosis, immunoglobulin release from B-lymphocytes, and interleukin release (e.g. IL-8 and CCL5) are all impaired by pyocyanin, weakening the immune system of the lung. In vivo studies have shown that the growth of fungus is inhibited in the presence of pyocyanin. The fungicidal mechanism is the activation of NAD(P)H to induce a redox-active cascade producing reactive oxygen intermediates. This allows P. aeruginosa to have a competitive advantage as it may dominate over other microorganisms in the cystic fibrosis lung.
The intracellular concentration of ATP is also diminished by pyocyanin causing further damage to CFTR which are already impaired in cystic fibrosis. CFTR channels rely on ATP for two main purposes. Firstly, the binding and hydrolysis of ATP has to occur at two nucleotide binding domains for the channel to move between its open and closed conformation. Secondly, phosphorylation of CFTR by Protein kinase A II should occur in order for the channel to be operational. PKA II is activated by cAMP which is produced from ATP. Both these processes are impaired when ATP is depleted by pyocyanin.

Defence against pyocyanin
Caenorhabditis elegans possesses two specific ABC transporters called pgp-1 and pgp-2 which are effectively able to extrude intracellular pyocyanin in an energy dependent manner.

See also
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
 Pyoverdine
 Cystic fibrosis

References

External links
Pyocyanin profile

Antibiotics
Biological pigments
Phenazines
Enones
Bacterial toxins


The American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) was the non-profit trade association representing members of the professional moving industry based primarily in the United States.  Its approximately 4,000 members consisted of van lines, their agents, independent movers, forwarders, industry suppliers, and certain individuals and organizations (AMSA did not represent the self-storage industry).

AMSA administered the industry’s ProMover quality certification program, aimed at consumers. It offered its members professional training and certification and provided them with federal government representation, statistical industry reporting, arbitration services for loss or damage claims, safety and compliance guidance, federal government rate filing, professional conferences, public relations,  publications, and annual safety and quality awards. It published a bimonthly magazine, Direction, and a quarterly data summary, Industry Trends. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, AMSA was affiliated with 27 state moving associations and several international moving associations. Its Moving & Storage Institute, founded in 2001, sponsored industry research and scholarships.

In 2020, AMSA was absorbed by the American Trucking Associations.

History

AMSA was the result of three predecessors merging over time: the National Moving & Storage Association (NMSA), the American Movers Conference (AMC), and the Household Goods Carriers’ Bureau (HGCB).

The NMSA, the first national U.S. trade association for movers, was founded on Mackinac Island, Michigan in 1920 as the National Furniture Warehousemen’s Association and later became headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. In 1935, the Household Goods Movers’ Group of the American Trucking Association was formed as a separate trade organization, changing its name in 1962 to the American Movers Conference. The HGCB was established in 1936 to help carriers comply with the Motor Carrier Act of 1935. In 1994, the AMC and the HGCB merged; and in 1998, the AMC and the NMSA merged to form American Moving & Storage Association.

In December 2020, AMSA was absorbed by the American Trucking Associations and became known as the Moving and Storage Conference.

Membership

Member companies included local, national and international firms and their suppliers offering moving and associated storage services for households and businesses; crating and transportation for sensitive freight including trade show displays, electronics, scientific and medical equipment, privately owned automobiles, fine art, and equipment for college and professional sports teams; and increasingly, portable on-demand storage and records storage and management. Specialized services may have included climate-controlled storage for items such as furs, wine, film, rugs, art, magnetic tape, and documents. Many AMSA members engaged in supply chain warehousing.

Members also handled national and international employee relocation and personal property moves for the private sector and U.S. government agencies such as the State Department (through the General Services Administration) as well as for active duty U.S. military personnel (Department of Defense business represented the industry's largest single customer). AMSA hosted GSA's Household Goods and Freight Forum at its annual conference from 2008 to 2012.

Members engaged in moving must have abided by an ethical code of conduct and comply with state, or for interstate moves, federal transportation safety and consumer protection regulations.

Membership was also open to industry affiliates (companies which provided specialized services or products, work collaboratively with industry businesses, used industry services, or whose own clientele was involved in or impacted by the move process); individuals (industry employees, van operators, and others whose work was impacted by the moving and storage sector); and professional and trade associations, including state, regional, national and international moving associations and related industry professional organizations.

ProMover program

Interstate moves

In January 2008, to help consumers avoid unscrupulous or illegitimate movers (many proliferating on the Internet), AMSA created the ProMover certification program for its members that have federal interstate operating authority.  Such members must have passed an annual criminal background check, have been licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and had to agree to abide by ethical standards such as honesty in advertising and in business transactions with customers.  Each ProMover also signed a contract to commit to adhere to applicable Surface Transportation Board and FMSCA regulations. AMSA also examined company ownership and registration with state corporation commissions, and the mover must maintain at least a satisfactory rating with the Better Business Bureau. Those that passed were authorized to display the ProMover logo on their websites and in marketing materials; those that fail were expelled from the program (and from AMSA) if they could not correct discrepancies during a probationary period.

Intrastate moves

In October 2010, AMSA began a two-year pilot program with the California Moving & Storage Association, the first time ProMover certification was made available to qualified movers operating only within a state. The program later became permanent. In April 2012, intrastate movers in Michigan became eligible; and the Florida ProMover program began in February 2013.

Notes

References

Moving and relocation
Trade associations based in the United States


Frank "Pat" Pieper (February 17, 1886 – October 22, 1974) served as the Chicago Cubs field (public address) announcer from 1916 to 1974, a span of 59 years.

Vendor at West Side Park

Pieper (pronounced "Piper") was born February 17, 1886, in Hanover, Germany. His family, including ten siblings, settled in Denver, Colorado. In 1904, 17-year-old Pat left for Chicago in search of a career. He was hired as a popcorn and peanut vendor by Dan Ryan, Sr., then the concessions boss at West Side Park, the home field of the Cubs. He later recalled that Ryan told him that "the first fifty years are the toughest. After that, it's easy."

By 1916, the Cubs had moved into Weeghman Park, soon to become known as Wrigley Field. The team did not bring along their field announcer, and Pieper talked himself into the job with Cub President Charles Weeghman.

Pieper also worked in the World Series of 1918, wherein the Cubs used Comiskey Park as home due to its greater capacity. There, he had the unusual task of announcing a pinch hitter for Babe Ruth, who was then a young pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.  "The Babe," says Pieper, "was always tough for my Cubs."

The Voice of Wrigley Field

Pieper first got to use an electronic public address system in 1932. "That saved my life," he said. "Before that, I had to run up and down the lines with my [14-pound] megaphone to make any kind of announcement. On some of those hot Wrigley Field days I’d lose six or eight pounds." As field announcer, he proclaimed the lineups, the current batter, defensive changes and so forth. He also introduced special guests and announced special events, such as births within the Cub "family."

On September 25, 1963, the retiring Stan Musial was named a Vice President of the St. Louis Cardinals just before he came to bat in the third inning at Wrigley. The next time that Musial batted, Pieper announced him with his new title. The Vice President struck out, then left the game for City Hall to be made an honorary citizen of Chicago.

Pieper's signature phrase at the beginning of each game was, "Attention! ... Attention, please! ... Have your pencil ... and scorecards ready ... and I'll give you... the correct lineup ... for today's ball game. The batt'ry ... for the [team]... [pitcher's name] ... and [catcher's name]." [and so on] He also would announce, "Play ball!" at the start of the game. In recent years, the Cubs have played a recording of that phrase to announce the starting lineups.

Between Pieper and current Philadelphia Phillies' public address announcer Dan Baker, the 2016 MLB season will mark 100 consecutive seasons that one of them has been announcing games. Baker has been the Phillies' PA announcer since 1972. The last game that was played without Pieper or Baker announcing games, was the 1915 World Series on October 13, 1915.

Witness to Diamond History

Pieper missed just 16 home games during his 59 years with the Cubs, and did not miss a game from 1924 onward. Hence, he witnessed virtually all of the great moments in Wrigley Field baseball history. He believed that his favorite moment came in 1917 "when our big left hander, Jim (Hippo) Vaughn, and Fred Toney, a right hander for Cincinnati pitched a double no-hitter for nine innings," Pieper recalled. "Somewhere at home I still have a picture of that great afternoon – a photograph of Vaughn, Toney and me."

"Don’t let anybody tell you the Babe [Ruth] didn’t point to the bleachers before he slammed that homer off Charlie Root," said Pieper, referring to The Called Shot of 1932. "I know. I had the best seat in the house ... I remember it as if it were yesterday. Guy Bush, one of our best pitchers was on the edge of the Cub dugout screaming ‘You big so and so, he's got two strikes on you. He’ll get you next time.’  Ruth stepped out of the batter's box. He definitely pointed toward center field where he planted Root's next pitch."

Pieper was on the job when Gabby Hartnett‘s Homer in the Gloamin' helped propel the Cubs to the 1938 National League pennant. "I have always attempted to handle my job as announcer with dignity," recalled Pieper. "But when I saw Gabby's hit soaring on its way over the left field fence, I picked up the bag of baseballs I keep for umpires and ran to third base to meet him. Then I jogged beside him until he reached home plate. You might say I brought Gabby home. I kept shouting, 'Be sure and touch the plate.' Gabby just smiled. I never saw a man so happy. I was 52 years old then. That was no way for me to behave."

Pieper names Rogers Hornsby as the greatest all-around player he'd seen. "He did everything well: hit, run, field. Hornsby wasn’t a flashy player, just a great who had his head jammed with baseball knowledge. He knew every hitter in the league. He played position on ‘em, and very frequently he was within six inches of where the ball was hit."  Pieper regarded the Cubs infield of the 1930s, with Billy Jurges, Billy Herman and Phil Cavarretta, as more proficient than the legendary Tinker, Evers and Chance. "I pick them because the rabbit ball has made the job of the infielders much, much tougher than it was in 1906."

Pat Pieper had a small role in one of baseball history's weirdest plays. It took place during a game played on June 30, 1959, between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. Stan Musial was at the plate, with a count of 3–1. Bob Anderson's next pitch was errant, evading catcher Sammy Taylor and rolling all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore called ball four, however Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial foul tipped the ball. Because the ball was still in play, and because Delmore was embroiled in an argument with the catcher and pitcher, Musial took it upon himself to try for second base. Seeing that Musial was trying for second, third baseman Alvin Dark ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball. The ball wound up in the hands of Pieper, but Dark ended up getting it back anyway. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new ball and gave it to Taylor. Anderson finally noticed that Musial was trying for second, took the new ball, and threw it to second baseman Taylor. Anderson's throw flew over Tony Taylor's head into the outfield. Dark, at the same time that Anderson threw the new ball, threw the original ball to shortstop Ernie Banks. Musial, though, did not see Dark's throw and only noticed Anderson's ball fly over the second baseman's head, so he tried to go to third base. On his way there, he was tagged by Banks, and after a delay he was ruled out.

Personal

The Cubs honored Pieper with a "day" on September 22, 1940, celebrating 25 years as field announcer, and again on September 13, 1953, in honor of his fifty years as a Cub employee. The latter occasion took place a day before Gene Baker and Ernie Banks joined—and thus integrated—the ballclub. In 1961, he got to throw out the first ball to open the season, after which he reported for work as customary, in his chair behind home plate, making the usual announcements and providing fresh baseballs to the plate umpire as needed. The Hall of Fame made a recording of Pieper's voice in 1966.

As Wrigley Field had no lighting system until 1988, all the Cubs home games were played in the daytime. After the games, Pieper would serve as a waiter at The Ivanhoe, a castle-themed north-side Chicago restaurant that opened in 1920 and featured turrets and drawbridges, and even had an adjoining theater.

Pieper met Karen Marie Jorgensen in 1910, and after what he called "a whirlwind courtship," married her in 1918. Karen didn't like to attend baseball games, although Pieper recalls that he once got her to stay for all of three innings. Karen died in 1971. They had no children.

A dedicated bowler, Pieper subbed for an absent player in the American Bowling Congress tournament in 1924. He threw three consecutive strikes before the absentee returned. He was a mainstay of the Cubs’ team, rolling alongside Andy Pafko, Billy Holm, Phil Cavarretta and Gabby Hartnett, often in tournaments organized by Ray Schalk. Pieper bowled a 200 game at age 80.

Death

Pieper was taken ill after reporting for work at the ballpark on September 8, 1974. Suffering from acute jaundice, he was admitted to American Hospital, and died on October 22, 1974. In 1996, he was inducted into the Chicago Cubs Walk of Fame (which was later discontinued and reintroduced as the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame in 2021).

References

External links
Baseball Yarn
TomBorst.com

Major League Baseball public address announcers
Chicago Cubs personnel
1886 births
1974 deaths
Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States


Kerai Mariur (born June 4, 1951 in Ollei, Ngarchelong State, Palau) was the Vice President of Palau.

Biography

His qualifications include a Major Degree in Business Administration and Higher Accounting received from Cannon's International Business College Honolulu United States. Serving in the Palau National Congress as a four-term member of the House of Delegates, Mariur has played a key role in the Economic and Environmental legislature of the Republic of Palau. Laws accredited to Mariur during his time served in Congress include the Marine Protection Act, Republic of Palau Copyright Act and Protected Areas Network Act. His appointments during his term in congress include Chairmanship of the Standing Committee on Youth & Cultural Affairs, Judiciary and Governmental Affairs, Environment and Ecology, and the Ways and Means of Financial Matters.

Johnson Toribiong selected Mariur to be his nominee for Vice President in the 2008 Palauan election. After winning the election, they were inaugurated on 15 January 2009. Mariur also became Minister of Finance.

References

External links
 Palau House of Delegates: Kerai Mariur biography
 Palau Government website

1951 births
Members of the House of Delegates of Palau
Members of the Senate of Palau
Vice presidents of Palau
Finance ministers of Palau
People from Ngarchelong
Living people


Sorry Bhai  is an Indian Hindi romance drama film starring Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi and Chitrangada Singh. It was directed by Onir and released on 28 November 2008.

Plot
Siddharth Mathur (Sharman Joshi), a shy young scientist, travels to Mauritius for his elder brother Harsh's (Sanjay Suri)  wedding. Accompanying him is his mother Gayatri (Shabana Azmi), a reluctant traveller since she is angry at Harsh for deciding to get married without consulting them. Also travelling is Siddharth's cheery father Navin (Boman Irani), whose sole entertainment is pulling Gayatri's leg. Harsh, pre-occupied with work, can spend little time with his family and it is left to his fiancée Aaliyah (Chitrangada Singh) to show them around Mauritius before the wedding. However, Ma's anger at Harsh ensures that she takes an instant dislike for Aaliyah, and it is Aaliyah and Siddharth who end up spending loads of time together. This, added to the fact that Aaliyah feels neglected by the career-obsessed Harsh, leads to them being irresistibly drawn to each other. A horrified Siddharth battles this attraction desperately, but Aaliyah has fallen madly in love and pursues him with single-minded determination. When Siddharth's defences start crumbling and Ma starts getting suspicious, all hell breaks loose in the Mathur family.

Cast
 Sharman Joshi as Siddharth Mathur
 Chitrangada Singh as Aaliyah
 Shabana Azmi as Gayatri Devi Mathur
 Sanjay Suri as Harshvardhan Mathur
 Boman Irani as Navin Mathur
 Gaurav Nanda as Student

Soundtrack

References

External links

2000s Hindi-language films
2008 films
Films set in Mauritius


Estadio Ingeniero Hilario Sánchez is a football stadium in San Juan, Argentina.  It is the home ground of San Martín de San Juan. It has a capacity of 17,000 spectators.

It was renovated in 2007 because San Martín de San Juan was promoted to the first division, and the stadium needed a bigger capacity. The capacity was increased from 11,000 to 17,000, and along with it came a new stand.

Argentina national team matches

References

External links
Stadium Info San Martín official site
Stadium Info Soccerway

Football venues in Argentina
San Martín de San Juan


Ampelokipoi ( meaning "vineyard") is a village and a local community in the southern part of the island of Zakynthos. It is part of the municipal unit of Zakynthos (city). In 2011 its population was 1,606 for the village and 1,930 for the community, including the village Kalpaki. It is 3 km northwest of Kalamaki, 4 km north of Laganas and 3 km southwest of Zakynthos city. The Zakynthos International Airport is 1 km southeast.

Population

See also

List of settlements in Zakynthos

External links
Ampelokipoi at the GTP Travel Pages

References

Populated places in Zakynthos


Sally Starr may refer to:

 Sally Starr (actress) (1909–1996), theatrical and movie actress
 Sally Starr (TV hostess) (1923–2013), children's television host


Sharon Memorial Park is a crematory and cemetery located at 5716 Monroe Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. Notable people interred there include baseball players Bob Porterfield and Ben Paschal, and former Daytona 500 winner Buddy Baker.

References

External links
Official website

Cemeteries in North Carolina


Dominique Lecourt (; 5 February 1944 – 1 May 2022) was a French philosopher. He is known in the Anglophone world primarily for his work developing a materialist interpretation of the philosophy of science of Gaston Bachelard.

Biography
Lecourt was born in Paris. A former student at the École normale supérieure (1965), an agrégé in philosophy (1969), and a Docteur d'État ès lettres (1980), he was professor at the Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7 and, until 2011, was director of the Centre Georges Canguilhem (Paris 7).

Co-founder in 1984 of the International College of Philosophy, Rector of the National Center for Distance Education (1985–88), member of the Human Rights Commission of UNESCO (1977–90), member of the CNRS Ethics Commission for Life Sciences (1993–98), Chairman of the Ethics Commission of the French Research Development Institute (2002–2009).

Director General of the Institut Diderot and head of the surveillance council of Presses Universitaires de France (PUF), Dominique Lecourt has been decorated with the medals of Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, Knight of the National Order of Merit, and has been awarded the Gegner Prize (2000) and Louis Marin Prize (2010) by the Academy of Political and Moral Sciences.

In addition to numerous publications in philosophy, philosophy of sciences, cloning, ethics, bioethics, and politics, Dominique Lecourt has published more than thirty books.

Works in French

 L’Épistémologie historique de Gaston Bachelard (1969, new edition Vrin, Paris, expanded 11th edition, 2002).
 Bachelard, épistémologie, textes choisis (1971, new edition PUF, Paris, 8th edition 2010).
 Pour une critique de l’épistémologie: Bachelard, Canguilhem, Foucault (1972, new edition Maspero, Paris, 5th edition 1980).
 Une Crise et son enjeu (Maspero, Paris, 1973).
 Bachelard, le jour et la nuit (Grasset, Paris, 1974).
 Lyssenko, histoire réelle d’une "science prolétarienne" (1976, new edition Quadrige/PUF, 1995) :
 Dissidence ou révolution? (Maspero, Paris, 1978).
 L’Ordre et les Jeux (Grasset, Paris, 1980).
 La Philosophie sans feinte (Albin Michel, Paris, 1982).
 Contre la peur. De la science à l’éthique une aventure infinie (1990, 4th edition Quadrige/PUF, 2007).
 L’Amérique entre la Bible et Darwin, suivi de Intelligent design: science, morale et politique (1992, 3rd edition Quadrige/PUF, 2007).
 À quoi sert donc la philosophie? Des sciences de la nature aux sciences politiques (PUF, Paris, 1993).
 Les Infortunes de la raison (Vents d’Ouest, Québec, 1994).
 Prométhée, Faust, Frankenstein: Fondements imaginaires de l’éthique (1996, new edition Livre de Poche/Biblio Essai, 1998).
 L’Avenir du progrès (Editions Textuel, Paris, 1997).
 Déclarer la philosophie (PUF, Paris, 1997).
 Science, Philosophie et Histoire des sciences en Europe, edited by D. Lecourt (1998, new edition European Commission, Brussels, 1999).
 Encyclopédie des sciences, edited by D. Lecourt (Livre de Poche, Paris, 1998).
 Les Piètres penseurs (Flammarion, Paris, 1999).
 Dictionnaire d’histoire et philosophie des sciences, edited by D. Lecourt (1999, 4th edition Quadrige/PUF, Paris, 2006).
 Sciences, Mythes et Religions en Europe, edited by D. Lecourt (European Commission, Brussels, 2000).
 Rapport au ministre de l’Éducation nationale sur l’enseignement de la philosophie des sciences (2000). Translated by Judith Sanitt and Julia Sanitt :
 La Philosophie des sciences (2001, 4th edition PUF/Que sais je?, Paris, 2008).
 Humain post-humain (PUF, Paris, 2003).
 Dictionnaire de la pensée médicale, edited by D. Lecourt (2004 edition PUF/Quadrige, Paris, 2004).
 Bioéthique et Liberté with Axel Kahn (PUF/Quadrige essai, Paris, 2004).
 La Science et l'Avenir de l'homme, edited by D. Lecourt (PUF/Quadrige essai, Paris, 2005).
 L’Erreur médicale, edited by C. Sureau, D. Lecourt, G. David (PUF/Quadrige essai, Paris, 2006).
 Georges Canguilhem (Paris, PUF/Que sais je ?, 2008).
 Charles Darwin. Origines - Lettres choisies 1828-1859, edited by D. Lecourt (Bayard, Paris, 2009). .
 L'âge de la peur : Science, éthique et société (Bayard, Paris, 2009). .
 La mort de la clinique ?, sous la direction de D. Lecourt, G. David, D. Couturier, J-D. Sraer, C. Sureau (PUF/Quadrige essai, Paris, 2009). .
 La santé face au principe de précaution, sous la direction de D. Lecourt (2009, réed. PUF, Paris, 2010). .

Selected translations
 Marxism and epistemology: Bachelard, Canguilhem and Foucault (New Left Books, 1975).
 Proletarian Science? The Case of Lysenko (1977). Translation by Ben Brewster, 2nd edition, Schocken Books, 1978. Digital edition, 2003 :
 The Mediocracy: French Philosophy Since the Mid-1970s (Verso, 2001, 2nd edition, 2002).

References

External links

 Centre Georges-Canguilhem (Paris 7)
 Université Paris 7 - Denis-Diderot

1944 births
2022 deaths
Philosophers of science
French philosophers
20th-century French philosophers
21st-century French philosophers
Officers of the Legion of Honour
Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite
French male non-fiction writers
Lycée Buffon alumni
École Normale Supérieure alumni
Academic staff of Paris Diderot University
Writers from Paris
Epistemologists


Alessandro Del Piero  (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a deep-lying forward, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sport Italia. A technically gifted and creative supporting forward who was also a free-kick specialist, Del Piero is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. He won the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008 and received multiple nominations for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.

A prolific goal-scorer, he is currently the second highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals, behind only Silvio Piola, with 390 goals; he is also the joint ninth highest goalscorer in Serie A history, with 188 goals, alongside Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino. After beginning his career with Italian club Padova in Serie B in 1991, he moved to Juventus in 1993, where he played for 19 seasons (11 as captain), and holds the club records for most goals (290) and appearances (705). During his time at the club, he won six Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. After leaving the club in 2012, he also spent two seasons with Australian side Sydney FC; he retired in 2014, after a season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League.

Del Piero has scored in every competition in which he has participated. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In the same year, he was also voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, a list of the 50 best European players of the past 50 years. Along with six awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct, he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality as well as playing ability.

At international level, Del Piero has also represented the Italy national team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships, most notably winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He is the joint fourth highest scorer for the Italy national team, with 27 goals, alongside Roberto Baggio, and behind only Silvio Piola with 30 goals, Giuseppe Meazza with 33 goals, and Luigi Riva with 35 goals; with 91 appearances for Italy between 1995 and 2008, he is also his nation's eleventh-most capped player of all-time. In his career Del Piero scored 462 goals.

Early life
Del Piero was born in Conegliano, Veneto, the son of Gino, an electrician, and Bruna, a housekeeper. He regularly played football in the backyard with two friends, Nelso and Pierpaolo, as a child. All three dreamed of becoming footballers but only Del Piero would eventually manage to do so. His older brother, Stefano, briefly played professional football for Sampdoria before an injury curtailed his career; he later worked as his younger brother's agent. The family lived in the hamlet of Saccon, a rural home in San Vendemiano. While growing up, Del Piero's family did not have much money for travelling abroad, so he considered being a lorry driver in order to see the world.

While playing for the local youth team of San Vendemiano, Del Piero used to feature as a goalkeeper in order to gain more playing time. His mother thought it would be better for him to play in this role, as he would not sweat, and the possibility of him getting injured was less likely. His brother Stefano commented to their mother that, due to his skill, the younger Del Piero was more suited to playing in a more offensive position, and he switched to a forward role.

Club career

1991–1993: Early career and debut with Padova
Del Piero began his rise to professional football in 1981, in the ranks of San Vendemiano. In 1988, Del Piero was first spotted by scouts, and he left home at the young age of 13 to play with the youth side of Padova. He joined the senior side during the 1991–92 season, at the age of 16, and at the age of 17, he made his debut in Serie B against Messina, under manager Mauro Sandreani, on 15 March 1992, coming on as a substitute for Roberto Putelli. The following season, on 22 November 1992, he scored his first professional goal in a 5–0 victory over Ternana. In 1993, thanks to Giampiero Boniperti, Del Piero was bought by Juventus for five billion lire, with an overlap of 150 million lire per season.

Juventus

1993–1998: Early domestic and European success
In 1993, Del Piero transferred to Juventus and played for the Torinese club for 19 seasons until being released in the summer of 2012. Although manager Giovanni Trapattoni insisted that he trained with the senior team, he initially played with the Primavera squad, which was coached by Antonello Cuccureddu, helping the Juventus Youth team to win both the 1994 Torneo di Viareggio, and the 1994 U-20 championship. Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia on 12 September 1993 under Trapattoni, as a substitute, and he scored his first goal in his next game against Reggiana on 19 September, after coming off the bench once again. On his full debut for Juventus, he netted a hat-trick against Parma. After his promising performances, Del Piero began to be deployed with more continuity, and he managed 14 appearances for Juventus that season between youth matches, league matches, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Cup, scoring 5 goals, which all came in Serie A, as Juventus finished the season in second place in the league.

The 1994–95 Serie A season saw Marcello Lippi take over as Juventus manager, as well as the introduction of a new team of directors, made up of Giraudo, Roberto Bettega, and Luciano Moggi; Del Piero played a more prominent role for the club that season following Roberto Baggio's injury in November against Padova. Del Piero temporarily took his place in the first team alongside Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli, flourishing at the opportunity given to him, and Juventus went on to claim their first scudetto in nine years. Del Piero scored 8 goals in Serie A that season, including a match-winning chipped volley against Fiorentina. Del Piero was also able to achieve a rare double, and he captured the 1994–95 Coppa Italia with Juventus, defeating their season rivals Parma in the final, although they were defeated by Parma in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final. During this time, Del Piero earned the nickname Pinturicchio due to the similarity between his own technical and tactical characteristics, and Baggio's creative style of play. This nickname arose when former president Gianni Agnelli compared the emerging talent Del Piero to the renaissance artist Pinturicchio, who was the student of the great Italian renaissance artist Raphael (Raffaello), a nickname he had used to describe Baggio, to emphasise his elegance on the ball. Del Piero placed fourth in the 1995 Ballon d'Or for his performances throughout the season. With the Turin club, Del Piero won the Serie A eight times, although the 2005 and 2006 titles were revoked due to Juventus's involvement in the 2006 Italian football scandal.

For the 1995–96 season, Del Piero was awarded Baggio's No. 10 squad number, which had also previously belonged to Michel Platini, following his departure to A.C. Milan. Del Piero scored 6 goals and provided 10 assists in Serie A, although Juventus finished the season in second place behind Milan. Del Piero did manage to capture the Supercoppa Italiana in 1995, over Parma, setting up Vialli's only goal of the match. He also played a key role in helping Juventus to win the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League, scoring 6 goals in the competition, and finishing as the second highest scorer of the tournament.

The following season, Del Piero followed these victories up with the 1996 UEFA Super Cup and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup, scoring goals in both finals, and being named Man of the Match in the latter final; he also won the Bravo Award (as the best U-23 player in European Competitions), and placed 4th in the 1996 Ballon d'Or for the second consecutive year. Del Piero also captured his second Serie A title with Juventus that season, and helped lead Juventus to their second consecutive Champions League final, although he was unable to start the match due to injury. During the group stage, en route to the final, he helped Juventus to qualify for the quarter-finals a match early, scoring a goal in Juventus's 1–0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, on 20 November 1996; this was the first time that an Italian team had defeated Manchester United at their home ground. In the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final, he came off the bench to score a goal with a back-heel, which was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund. Due to his performances throughout the calendar year, Del Piero received nominations for both the 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year, finishing sixth and the 1997 Ballon d'Or.

Del Piero began the following campaign strongly by winning the 1997 Supercoppa Italiana, forming a strong offensive unit with Juventus teammates Zinedine Zidane in midfield, and newcomer Filippo Inzaghi upfront. The 1997–98 Serie A campaign was his best season yet, as he scored a joint career best of 21 goals in Serie A, and finished top scorer in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League with 10 goals, one of which included a freekick and a hat-trick against Monaco in the semi-finals. With these goals, he helped Juventus to reach their third consecutive Champions League final, although Del Piero was not fully fit for the match, and Juventus were once again defeated, falling 1–0 to Real Madrid from a strike by Predrag Mijatović on 20 May. Domestic success, however, was achieved that season, after a tight battle with Inter Milan, as Juventus celebrated its 25th Serie A title over their Italian rivals, with Del Piero scoring a memorable and decisive individual match-winning goal during the controversial Derby d'Italia match. Del Piero also managed a goal in the 1997–98 Coppa Italia that season, helping Juventus to the semi-finals, and finishing the season with a career best of 32 goals in all competitions. Del Piero was awarded the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award for his performances, and he was also nominated for the 1998 Ballon d'Or. During this time, he was nicknamed by the fans as Il Fenomeno Vero ("The Real Phenomenon"), in comparison with the Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who was nicknamed Il Fenomeno ("The Phenom") by supporters of rivals Inter Milan.

1998–2001: Injury struggles
Juventus began the 1998–99 Serie A with a 2–1 defeat in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana at the hands of Lazio, although Del Piero was able to score from a penalty. On 8 November 1998, Del Piero picked up a serious knee injury in the final minutes of a 2–2 draw with Udinese; this kept him out of action for the remainder of the season, as he managed only 2 goals. The club struggled without him, finishing the league season in a disappointing sixth place. Juventus did manage to reach the semi-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, losing out to eventual champions Manchester United. Following his serious injury, Del Piero underwent a muscle strengthening regime in order to adapt to the increasingly more physical and athletic demands of twenty-first century football, which allowed him to compensate for the loss of some of his pace and agility. Due to his dramatic weight gain and physical development during this period, as well as the club's success during the mid to late 90s, Del Piero, along with several other Juventus players and staff members, was claimed of being involved in illegal performance-enhancing drug abuse; after a lengthy investigation, the club's staff members incriminated were eventually cleared of all doping allegations in 2005.

During the next season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, Del Piero primarily served as an assist-man, providing 14 assists in Serie A, the most in the league that season, and 20 in all competitions. He faced criticism, however, for his inability to score in open play following his injury the previous season, as only one of his 9 Serie A goals that season was in open play (a header against Parma), with the rest coming from penalties. Furthermore, towards the end of the season, his once excellent attacking partnership with Inzaghi became less effective, due to Inzaghi's individualism, as well as the pair's lack of understanding and strained relationship both on and off the pitch. Del Piero helped Juventus to capture the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup that season, which allowed Juventus to qualify for the UEFA Cup; overall, he scored 12 goals in all competitions, as Juventus narrowly missed out on the Serie A title. In 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salaries, bonuses, and advertising revenue.

The following season saw Juventus suffer another disappointing defeat losing out on the 2000–01 Serie A title once again, this time to Roma. Juventus and Del Piero began the season strongly, and Del Piero scored the winner on his season debut against Napoli on 30 September, although he later suffered another injury and fell out of form, failing to score. On 18 February 2001, Del Piero broke his goal drought, scoring in an away win over Bari. Del Piero celebrated the goal by dedicating it to his father, who had recently died. Del Piero refound his form towards the end of the season, although he was unable to help Juventus capture the Serie A title, despite scoring a goal in a 2–2 draw against Roma.

2001–2004: New successes
Del Piero was named Juventus captain upon Lippi's return to Juventus, and he formed a formidable offensive partnership with French striker David Trezeguet, who joined in 2000, and Czech playmaker Pavel Nedvěd, who arrived in 2001. Del Piero scored 16 goals and provided several assists, as Juventus were crowned Serie A champions for a 26th time on 5 May 2002, the last match day of the season; Juventus won the title over Roma and Inter Milan by a single point, after a 2–0 away victory over Udinese, with goals from top-scorer Trezeguet and Del Piero. Del Piero managed 21 goals in all competitions, also scoring his 100th and 101st goals for Juventus that season, against Venezia, on 26 August 2001. Del Piero also helped Juventus reach the Coppa Italia final that season, although Juventus were defeated by Parma.

Juventus's title success in 2002 enabled the club to automatically qualify for the UEFA Champions League the following season. Juventus began the 2002–03 season by winning the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana over Parma, with Del Piero scoring two goals, and Juventus were also able to successfully defend their Serie A title. Del Piero scored his 100th goal in Serie A in a 2–1 win over Brescia on 27 April 2003. In the UEFA Champions League, Juventus were placed in Group E alongside Newcastle United, Dynamo Kyiv, and Feyenoord. Del Piero opened up his account in European competitions that season when he scored his side's second goal in a 5–0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv on 24 September, after combining with Nedvěd and Mauro Camoranesi.

On the next matchday, Juventus played host to Newcastle on 1 October and Del Piero hit a brace to help his club maintain the top spot in their group. Juventus advanced to the second group stage where the club managed to progress, along with Manchester United, on goal differential over FC Basel and Deportivo de La Coruña. Juventus then saw off Barcelona in the quarter-finals through an extra time goal by Marcelo Zalayeta, and faced Spanish opposition again in the likes of defending champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The triumvirate attacking partnership proved wonders for Juventus, as the team overturned a 2–1 first leg deficit to record a 4–3 aggregate win as all three attacking stars netted in a 3–1 home win in the second leg. Juventus faced Italian rivals AC Milan in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final in Manchester on 28 May. After a goalless 120 minutes, the tie went to a penalty shoot-out, where Del Piero finished his spot-kick, but it wasn't enough, as Juventus fell 3–2 in the shoot-out.

The following season saw Juventus start strongly, winning the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana over Milan on penalties, although Juventus were knocked out in the round of 16 in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, and finished the 2003–04 Serie A season in a disappointing third place. The club did manage to reach the 2004 Coppa Italia Final, only to be defeated by Lazio. Lippi left Juventus at the end of the season to take charge of the Italy national team.

2004–2006: Calciopoli and relegation
After Euro 2004, Juventus manager Marcello Lippi was replaced by Fabio Capello. Capello was not convinced of Del Piero's fitness levels, and frequently benched him in favour of the younger, new offensive signing Zlatan Ibrahimović. Despite his limited playing time, Del Piero still managed to score 14 goals, as Juventus won their 28th league title, due to his overhead assist to teammate David Trezeguet, which proved decisive in a match against Milan at the San Siro. Del Piero also helped Juventus to reach the quarter-finals of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, only losing out to eventual champions Liverpool.

Several journalists and coaches believed that Del Piero was back to his best form in the 2005–06 Serie A, as he managed 12 goals in Serie A, and 20 goals in all competitions, helping Juventus to defend the Serie A title. His role at Juventus changed during his second season under Capello, who preferred to use him as an immediate-impact substitute. Due to his lack of playing time, Del Piero's relationship with Capello was often strained.

On 10 January 2006, Del Piero became the all-time leading goalscorer for Juventus when he scored three times in a Coppa Italia match against Fiorentina, taking his total goal tally for the club to 185. The previous record holder was Giampiero Boniperti, with 182 goals. Del Piero also finished the season as the top scorer of the Coppa Italia, with 5 goals. Del Piero equalled José Altafini's Serie A record of six goals as a substitute after scoring in the final minute of Juventus' final game of the 2005–06 season, before Juventus were forcibly relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal, also having their two most recent Serie A titles revoked.

2006–2007: Serie B champions
After Juventus were demoted to Serie B and their two most recent scudetti were revoked, Del Piero pledged that he would stay to captain the team. He underlined that players should remain with the team, explaining that "The Agnelli family deserve this, as do the fans and the new directors." While many key players such as Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson, Gianluca Zambrotta, Patrick Vieira, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Lilian Thuram left, Del Piero chose to stay and help the club gain promotion.

Del Piero's first appearance after the 2006 FIFA World Cup triumph was in a Coppa Italia match against Cesena on 23 August 2006. As Juventus played in the Serie B for the 2006–07 season, the Coppa Italia campaign became increasingly important for the club in order to achieve a UEFA Cup spot. Having been on vacation beforehand, Del Piero started on the bench. Juventus and Cesena were locked on 1–1 when Del Piero entered in the 74th minute and after nine seconds, he scored the winning goal for Juventus.

Del Piero then came on as a substitute in the 61st minute during Juventus's next Coppa Italia match on 27 August, against Napoli. Once again Juventus came from behind, as Del Piero scored twice to give his team the lead. The match eventually went to penalties; although Del Piero scored his spot-kick, Napoli won 5–4 in the penalty shoot-out. Despite starting the season with a nine-point penalty from the match-fixing scandal, Juventus gained promotion to Serie A as Serie B champions; Del Piero finished the league campaign as the top scorer of the 2006–07 Serie B season, with 20 goals. During the season, Del Piero also managed his 200th goal with Juventus on 21 October 2006, in a 1–0 league victory over Frosinone.

2007–2011: Return to Serie A and post-Calciopoli struggles

Following Juventus's return to Serie A, Del Piero was locked in months of fractious negotiations over the signing of a new contract with Juventus' new management. After successfully negotiating a new contract till 30 June 2010, he was greeted with news of the birth of his first child, Tobias Del Piero. This was quite a staggering turnaround in his fortunes, as only two weeks earlier, he was dropped by Claudio Ranieri for the Serie A match with Fiorentina, and was then axed from Roberto Donadoni's Italy squad for the games with Georgia and South Africa.

On 15 December 2007, Del Piero scored two goals away at Lazio and was named to two consecutive Serie A teams of the week. In February 2008, he scored the winning goal for Juventus from a free-kick in a 1–0 Serie A home victory over Roma. On 6 April 2008, he set a new appearance record for Juventus, overtaking Gaetano Scirea's previous tally of 552 matches in all competitions. In April, he registered seven goals in five Serie A matches, including a hat-trick in a 0–4 away win over Atalanta.

On the final weekend of the 2007–08 season, Del Piero scored a brace against Sampdoria in a 3–3 draw. These two goals were crucial, as it took him to 21 goals for the season, thus winning him the Capocannonieri prize in Serie A for the first time in his illustrious career, beating the likes of teammate David Trezeguet (20 goals) and Marco Borriello (19 goals), also matching his highest seasonal tally in Serie A since the 1997–98 season. He became only the second Italian ever to win consecutive Capocannoniere titles in two different leagues – former Juventus and 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi being the other. (Coincidentally, Rossi also won the Capocannoniere titles like Del Piero – first in Serie B and then in Serie A). On 26 July, Del Piero was awarded the Scirea Award. Juventus finished the 2007–08 Serie A season in third place, which allowed them to qualify for the UEFA Champions League the following season.

Before the season, Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri remarked that Del Piero would have as good a season, or an even better one, than the previous term. In August 2008, Del Piero announced that he would try to keep playing professional football with Juventus until he turned 40. Juventus were drawn into the same Champions League group as Real Madrid, and UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint Petersburg. Del Piero marked Juventus's return to the competition with a match-winning free kick to seal a home win against Zenit. On 21 October, Del Piero netted a notable goal as Juventus defeated Real Madrid 2–1 in Turin, scoring with a first-time, curling strike from distance, in the fifth minute of play.

On 5 November 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off at Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League. The Italians won 0–2, their first away win against Madrid since 1962, and Del Piero was a key performer, scoring both goals, and drawing praise from Ranieri, as well as Real Madrid's coach Bernd Schuster. As he left the pitch after being substituted, fans from both sides gave him a standing ovation. Juventus's Champions League campaign ended in disappointment, as they were eliminated by Chelsea in the second round. Despite converting a penalty in the second leg in Turin, Del Piero was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3–2 on aggregate.

On 29 November 2008, Del Piero scored his 250th goal for Juventus from a penalty, in a 4–0 home win over Reggina. In the league, Juventus were mostly challenging Milan for second place and an automatic Champions League spot. Most notably, Del Piero inspired Juventus to a 3–0 win over Siena in their penultimate game of the season, scoring a brace and setting up Claudio Marchisio for the youngster's third goal of the season to end their run of seven winless matches in Serie A. Juventus then went on to defeat Lazio 2–0 and clinch the second place spot in Serie A over Milan, determined by their head-to-head record.

On 17 July 2009, Del Piero extended his contract with Juventus by one more year until 30 June 2011 in Pinzolo while training for pre-season, thus practically ensuring that he would retire at the club with which he started his professional career. During his renewal, he said: "I am happy at Juventus and we are competitive. I want to keep playing for as long as I can and I'm certain that for at least two more years I will be at the top level." On 14 February 2010, Del Piero marked his 445th Serie A appearance, breaking the all-time club record previously held by Boniperti, with a brace in a 3–2 win against Genoa. Del Piero finished the season as the all-time top scorer for Juventus, having scored over 250 goals in all competitions with the club, and having also made over 600 appearances in official matches for Juventus, breaking Scirea's appearance record.

On 14 March 2010, Del Piero recorded his 300th and 301st career goals during a 3–3 draw with Siena, with the first two goals coming in the second and seventh minutes. On 30 October 2010, he recorded his 179th Serie A goal, helping his side to a 2–1 win at Milan, breaking the record of club legend Giampiero Boniperti as Juventus's top scorer in Serie A, and further cementing his status as the most prolific goalscorer in Juventus history.

On 5 February 2011, with his substitution against Cagliari, Alessandro Del Piero became the most capped Juventus player, edging out former Juventus legend Giampiero Boniperti. Del Piero was the third most capped active player in the Serie A at the time, behind Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti, respectively. On 5 May 2011, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at the Juventus Arena. His previous deal was due to expire on 30 June 2011. On 24 May 2011, Del Piero and Juventus played against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a friendly match being former England defender Gary Neville's testimonial match. Del Piero was substituted after 65 minutes to a standing ovation from the United supporters.

2011–2012: Champion again in final season with Juventus

Juventus confirmed on 18 October 2011 that the 2011–12 Serie A would be Del Piero's last season with the club. The 2011–12 season under new manager Antonio Conte, his former Juventus teammate, saw Del Piero being used sparingly, and mainly as a substitute, because of the summer arrival of forward Mirko Vučinić from Roma. In the club's opening match of the season against Parma on 11 September, he assisted Simone Pepe's goal in an eventual 4–1 home win. Del Piero scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on 24 January 2012, in a 3–0 win over Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. Later in the season, Del Piero stated that he was surprised at Juventus president Andrea Agnelli's announcement regarding the club's decision not to offer him a new contract.

In the second leg of Juventus's clash with Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Del Piero finished off a brilliant move by Juventus as they secured a 2–2 draw to progress to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win. On 25 March, Del Piero helped Juventus defeat Inter Milan by scoring the second goal of the match in a 2–0 victory, his first goal of the Serie A season. In Juventus' match against Lazio on 11 April, Del Piero replaced Vučinić in the second half, making his 700th appearance for Juventus, and then went on to score from a free kick to earn his side a 2–1 victory; the result also enabled Juventus to return to the top of the Serie A table.

On 13 May, Del Piero started Juventus's final league game of the season against Atalanta, marking the occasion and the victory of their 28th Serie A title by scoring a goal. Twenty-seven minutes into the match, Del Piero picked the ball up at the edge of the penalty box and placed a shot past Giorgio Frezzolini to make the score 2–0, helping Juventus to go undefeated in Serie A that season. He was substituted off after 59 minutes to an emotional response from both sets of players and supporters, as he made a lap of honour around the pitch. This was Alessandro Del Piero's final Serie A appearance for Juventus.

Del Piero's final match for Juventus was in the Coppa Italia Final on 20 May against Napoli, which ended in a 2–0 victory to the Neapolitans. Del Piero was substituted in the 67th minute for Vučinić as his Juventus career came to an end; he received a standing ovation from both the Juventus and Napoli fans. Following the game, he confirmed that after his 19-year spell with Juventus, he did not plan to retire. He then left the club and became a free agent. In total, Del Piero made a club record of 705 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring a record 290 goals, and providing 134 assists in all competitions throughout his career with the club; he also scored 188 goals and provided 105 assists in 478 Serie A appearances with the Turin club. In addition to these records, Del Piero is also Juventus's top scorer and second highest appearance holder in the UEFA Champions League, behind only Buffon, with 44 goals in 92 appearances; he is also the top scorer and appearance holder for Juventus in European Competitions, with 50 goals in 125 appearances, in International competitions, with 54 goals in 131 appearances, and in the Supercoppa Italiana, with 3 goals in 6 appearances. He is the club's top-scorer in Serie B, with 21 goals, and the club's second highest scorer in the Coppa Italia, with 25 goals, behind Pietro Anastasi. Alongside Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino, Del Piero is also the ninth highest all-time goalscorer in Serie A, and he is currently the joint all-time top scorer in the Supercoppa Italiana, alongside Samuel Eto'o, Andriy Shevchenko, and Carlos Tevez. As of April 2023, he is the seventeenth highest UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer, with 42 goals.

Del Piero refused the board's offer to retire the No. 10 shirt in his honour, saying: "I've really had so much that I would never want it to be retired, this way, every child can dream one day of wearing it." On 30 June, Del Piero wrote an open letter to the Juventus fans thanking them for almost two decades of support, stating: "Above all what remains is the fans, you who are Juventus. That jersey that I loved and will always love, that I desired and respected ... From tomorrow I will no longer be a Juventus player, but I will always be one of you. Now a new adventure begins and I am as fired up as I was 19 summers ago."

Sydney FC

On 5 September 2012, Del Piero signed a two-year deal with Sydney FC. He was paid approximately AU$3.5 million for each of his first two seasons, and therefore became the highest-paid footballer to ever play in Australia. Del Piero had been linked to Liverpool prior to signing for Sydney, but later revealed due to his memories of Heysel he would not have been able to move to the club.

Upon signing for Sydney FC, Del Piero said: "It's a special day for me. I am happy to announce that I just signed for two years for Sydney FC. This is a very big moment for me because I want to continue my career in a new part of the world where I can make a major contribution and help grow the game I love." After the announcement of the transfer to Sydney FC, Juventus wished good luck to their former captain. Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi said they were saddened by his departure.

Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow said: "The signing of Alessandro Del Piero is a big moment for this club and, we believe, a historic moment for football in Australia, I wouldn't like to go into the details of the contract, but this does represent the largest professional sporting contract in Australian history and the numbers that have been discussed aren't too far off the mark."

Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said that this signing would be crucial for the growth of Australian Football, both economically and technically. Ian Crook, manager of Sydney FC, said he would build the forward set-up around the Italian, who would be given licence to pull the strings, adding: "We're not going to reinvent the wheel here. He's played 19 years for one of the biggest four or five clubs in the world, as a No. 10 or a No. 9. We're not going to change that." FIFA President Sepp Blatter sent his best wishes to Del Piero and his new club.

On 6 October 2012, Del Piero made his A-League debut with Sydney FC in a 2–0 away loss against Wellington Phoenix. Del Piero scored his first goal for the club from a free-kick in 3–2 loss to Newcastle Jets on 13 October, in his first home game for Sydney. The match against Newcastle featured hero-cam, which allowed the viewer to track Del Piero's movements with one camera throughout the game. On 20 October, Del Piero scored the winning goal against Western Sydney Wanderers FC (1–0), making history with the first goal in the first Sydney Derby.

On 19 January 2013, Del Piero scored four goals and also provided one assist in Sydney's 7–1 win against Wellington Phoenix; this was the first time he had scored more than three goals in a single match, and after being substituted, the fans gave him a standing ovation. On 10 February, Del Piero broke the club's record for most goals in a single season, scoring his eleventh goal of the season in a 2–1 home win over Brisbane Roar. Despite his record-breaking tally of 14 goals in 24 appearances, Del Piero was unable to help Sydney qualify for the play-offs at the end of the season. On 21 February, Del Piero renewed his contract until 2014.

Del Piero was named Sydney's captain for their 2013–14 season. On 11 October 2013, Del Piero scored the opening goal of the 2013–14 A-League season, the game-winner in a 2–0 victory over Newcastle Jets, also setting up Joel Chianese's goal. Alessandro went on to score 10 goals in total for Sydney FC in the 2013–14 season, which earned him the Sydney FC Golden Boot; he helped the club qualify for the finals series, setting up both of his team's goals in the final match of the regular season on 13 April 2014, a 2–1 home win over Perth Glory, before being released of his contract at Sydney FC. His final match with Sydney came in a 2–1 loss to Melbourne Victory in an Elimination final at Docklands Stadium on 18 April, courtesy of Gui Finkler's injury time winner.

On Sunday 10 August 2014, Del Piero captained the Hyundai A-League All Stars against his club of almost 20 years, Juventus, in Sydney, in front of over 55,000 people at ANZ Stadium. Del Piero was substituted off at the 63rd minute of the match for David Williams, to a standing ovation.

In April 2015, Del Piero was named to Sydney FC's team of the decade and to the AFC team of the decade.

Delhi Dynamos
On 23 August 2014, it was reported that Delhi Dynamos, an Indian side that was set to play in the inaugural Indian Super League season, was in talks with Del Piero. His brother, Stefano Del Piero said, "During the last (few) weeks, we have received inquiries from several teams, not only from India but also from other countries. There is a lot of interest in Alessandro." On 28 August 2014, he officially signed for the Delhi-based outfit, signing a four-month deal. He reportedly is the highest paid player in the history of Indian football.

Del Piero made his debut for the Delhi Dynamos on 14 October in a 0–0 draw against Pune City, a side which featured his former Juventus teammate David Trezeguet. On 9 December, Del Piero scored his first and only Delhi Dynamos goal, netting directly from a free kick, in a 2–2 draw against Chennaiyin. Del Piero made 10 appearances throughout the season as Delhi finished in fifth place, failing to reach the play-offs by a single point.

Retirement
In October 2015, after almost a year without a club, Del Piero officially communicated his retirement from professional football, also stating his intention to pursue a coaching career.

International career

1995–1998: Euro 1996 and 1998 World Cup
Del Piero is currently Italy's joint fourth all-time leading scorer, along with Roberto Baggio, with 27 goals in 91 appearances, with 2 goals for Italy coming in 12 World Cup matches and 1 goal in 13 European Championship matches; alongside Enrico Chiesa, he also holds the unique record for the most goals scored by an Italian international as a substitute (5). Del Piero initially played for the Italian U-21 side on 12 occasions, scoring 3 goals, and was a member of the team that qualified for and later won the 1996 European Under-21 Championship, appearing in the quarter-finals. Del Piero made his senior debut under Arrigo Sacchi at the age of 20, on 25 March 1995, in a 4–1 win over Estonia in a Euro 1996 qualifying match. Del Piero scored his first goal for Italy on 15 November 1995, in a 4–0 win over Lithuania in a Euro 1996 qualifying match. His tournament debut was at UEFA Euro 1996, where he made his only appearance in the first half of the team's 2–1 win in the opening group match against Russia, playing as a left-winger in midfield, wearing the number 14 shirt, before being substituted at half-time by Roberto Donadoni.

The next year, Del Piero was part of the Italy team that took part in the friendly "Tournoi de France" tournament from 3 to 11 June 1997 under Cesare Maldini. Del Piero scored two goals in a 3–3 draw against Brazil, and scored from a penalty against France in the 90th minute, finishing the tournament as top-scorer with 3 goals, although Italy finished in last place.

Del Piero competed with fan favourite Roberto Baggio for an attacking spot in the starting 11 during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, while struggling to recover from an injury suffered during the 1998 Champions League final with Juventus; Del Piero missed out on Italy's 2–2 opening draw against Chile, and was temporarily replaced by Baggio. He made his first World Cup appearance in the second group match, a 3–0 defeat of Cameroon, coming on for Baggio in the second half, wearing the number 10 shirt, and contributing to Christian Vieri's final goal. In the final group game against Austria, Del Piero won his first start, setting up Vieri's opening goal of the match from a free-kick as Italy won 2–1 to top their group and seal a passage into the next round, avoiding reigning champions Brazil; he was substituted by Baggio in the second half. Italy reached the quarter-finals after defeating Norway 1–0, as Del Piero started the match alongside Vieri once again, coming off for Enrico Chiesa in the 77th minute. Italy eventually fell to hosts and eventual champions France on penalty kicks, following a 0–0 draw; Del Piero was criticised for his performance and was substituted in the second half by Baggio once again.

1998–2004: Euro 2000 runners-up and subsequent struggles

Del Piero was part of Dino Zoff's Italy's squad that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2000. Although he was primarily used as a substitute for either Francesco Totti or Stefano Fiore, Del Piero appeared in every match of the tournament, and he wore the number 10 shirt. On 11 June, Del Piero came on as a substitute for Fiore in the 30th minute in Italy's opening Group B 2–1 win against Turkey, hitting the cross-bar from a free-kick. In the final group game, Del Piero started the match and scored the winner with a notable goal against Sweden, taking it past two players before curling the ball into the top corner from outside the area with a left-footed strike; Del Piero also set up Luigi Di Biagio's opener from a corner. Del Piero made his second start of the tournament for Italy in their semi-final against co-hosts, Netherlands, which Italy won on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra-time. In the final, he come on as a substitute in the second half and missed two gilt-edged chances in Italy's 2–1 loss to France in extra time, and was criticised by the Italian press.

Del Piero returned to the international scene in the 2002 FIFA World Cup under Giovanni Trapattoni after winning the scudetto with Juventus. He scored the decisive goal against Hungary, which sealed Italy's qualification for the finals. Del Piero appeared as a substitute in Italy's opening win against Ecuador, wearing the captain's armband for part of the match. He instantly scored with a header against Mexico, after coming on as a substitute, an equalising goal which saved Italy from the ignominy of a first round exit in their final group match. The goal sent Italy through to the second round, where they were eliminated by a golden goal in a controversial match against co-hosts South Korea, a match during which Del Piero started alongside Totti and Vieri.

Del Piero took part in 6 of Italy's 2004 European Qualifying matches, scoring 5 goals, and was called up for the Italy squad that would participate in UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. Del Piero started all three matches, wearing the captain's armband in Italy's final win over Bulgaria, and was involved in Cassano's injury time match-winning goal, although Italy were eliminated in the first round on direct encounters, following a three-way five point tie with Sweden and Denmark.

2004–2008: World Cup champion and post-World Cup

Del Piero took part in the 2006 FIFA World Cup under manager Marcello Lippi, appearing in five matches, and two out of the three group stage matches; he made his first start of the competition in a 1–0 round of 16 win over Australia on 26 June. On 4 July, Del Piero entered as a substitute near the end of regulation and scored Italy's second goal in a 2–0 semi-final win over host Germany. In the final against France, which ended 1–1 after extra time, Del Piero scored a penalty in the shootout as Italy won the tournament for the fourth time. He admitted afterwards that winning the World Cup was his childhood dream.

As of 2008, Del Piero has captained Italy seven times (including during UEFA Euro 2008). He also initially regularly wore the number 10 shirt, in particular under Maldini and Zoff, but later gave it to Totti after Euro 2000, and switched to the number 7 for the 2002 World Cup, as it was the first number he wore at the start of his career. Even though the number 10 shirt was vacated after Totti retired from the national team in July 2007, Del Piero denied any interest in taking back the number, saying he was satisfied with the number 7 jersey. In May, he was recalled by popular demand to Italy's UEFA Euro 2008 squad in Austria and Switzerland under manager Roberto Donadoni, after a nine-month absence from international duty, and thus became the second Italian player, after Paolo Maldini, to participate in seven major international tournaments (Euro 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008; World Cup 1998, 2002, 2006).

Although Del Piero was mostly on the substitutes' bench at Euro 2008, he started in Italy's second group match against Romania as the squad's captain. In the first group match against the Dutch, he came on for the under-performing Antonio Di Natale and made an immediate impact, including several efforts on goal; however, he could not prevent Italy from losing 3–0. Italy qualified through the group stage in second-place behind the Netherlands, eliminating Romania and France. In the quarter-final against eventual champions Spain, Del Piero made a substitute appearance during extra-time, and with the game ending in a 0–0 draw, it was decided by a penalty shootout in which Spain won 4–2.

On 20 August 2008, Del Piero won his 90th cap for Italy in friendly against Austria under Lippi, becoming only the fifth Italy player to reach this landmark at the time. Despite announcing his intention to carry on playing until the age of 40, he was excluded from Lippi's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. Del Piero's final appearance for Italy came in a 2–0 win against Georgia in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 10 September 2008; he came on for Di Natale in the 56th minute and later set up Daniele De Rossi's second goal of the match.

In 2013, the Italy national team coach at the time, Cesare Prandelli, stated that he would consider calling Del Piero up for the 2014 World Cup, although he was ultimately excluded from the Italian squad that participated at the tournament in Brazil.

Player profile

Style of play

Due to his creative style of play, eye for goal, flair, and technical skill, Del Piero was known as a "fantasista" in Italy. His hard-working playing style was regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching". Because of his technical characteristics, link-up play, and ability at one–twos, Del Piero usually played as a supporting-striker, which was his preferred role, although he was a tactically versatile forward, with good movement and clinical finishing, who was capable of playing anywhere along the front line, and who also established himself as a prolific goalscorer throughout his career. He was also occasionally deployed between the midfield and the strikers as a playmaking attacking midfielder, known in Italy as the trequartista position, due to his vision, passing range, ball control, dribbling ability (in particular in one on one situations) and creativity, although he often stated that this was not his preferred position. As such, Del Piero's former Juventus teammate and manager Didier Deschamps described him as a "nine and a half" in 2006, a description that Michel Platini had previously also used to describe Roberto Baggio, to indicate that Del Piero's favoured role was somewhere between that of a striker (who traditionally wore the number nine shirt) and an attacking midfielder (who traditionally wore the number ten shirt), namely that of a second striker. In this free role, he was also often given licence to drift onto the wings and cut inside to shoot on goal with his stronger right foot. In addition to his technical, offensive, and creative qualities, Del Piero was known for his defensive work-rate, and his crossing accuracy, as well as his ability to use either foot.

Position and reception
Del Piero is widely regarded by players, pundits, and managers as one of the greatest players of his generation and as one of the best Italian players of all time; He is also considered to be Juventus's greatest player ever by some pundits. A precocious talent, in his youth, Del Piero played in the "trident-attack" of Lippi's 4–3–3 formation, along with veterans Vialli, Baggio, and Ravanelli, as a striker, or more frequently as an outside forward on the left wing. With the arrival of Zidane in the advanced midfield playmaking role, Juventus's formation changed to a 4–4–2 system, and Del Piero partnered alongside a more offensive striker up front, such as Christian Vieri and subsequently Inzaghi, as either a supporting forward or as an out-and-out striker. After losing some of his explosive pace, speed of execution, flair, and agility following his injury in 1998, Del Piero performed a muscle strengthening regime, and he took on a more creative role, in combination with playmaker Zidane, functioning in a free position, just in front of the attacking midfielder and behind the main striker Inzaghi, under Ancelotti, in the club's 3–4–1–2 formation; although he was accused by some in the media of not living up to his potential following his injury, due to his decrease in goalscoring, he successfully adapted to his new creative attacking role as an assist provider. As Juventus's playing style continued to change during Lippi's second stint with Juventus starting in 2001, Del Piero partnered with Zidane's replacement, Nedvěd, in a free creative role in front of the midfield, or occasionally on the left flank, as a supporting striker in a fluid 4–4–2 formation, with Trezeguet upfront; he subsequently continued to play a similar role under Capello and later managers, and was even occasionally used in a more offensive role as a main striker, although he became increasingly deployed as a substitute due to his advancing age. Del Piero was also employed occasionally as a winger in a 4–4–2 formation throughout his career, in particular during his time under Sacchi with the Italy national football team.

Regarding the contrast between Del Piero's world–class performances in his youth and his initial struggle to replicate the heights he achieved prior to his career–threatening injury in 1998, Roberto Beccantini noted in a Treccani profile on Del Piero: "There were two Del Pieros: one was the unmatchable fantasista, capable of scoring unforgettable goals and producing extraordinary assists; the other is the forward that, after Zeman's allegations of his use of performing enhancing drugs and the serious injury he suffered to his left knee on 8 November 1998 in Udine, struggled to find himself and went from his 21 league goals of the 1997–98 season, a personal record, to only one goal in open play (plus 8 penalties scored) during the 1999–2000 season." He also noted that Del Piero struggled to replicate his club performances with Juventus at international level with Italy, in particular in major tournaments. Despite his injury struggles, Del Piero also stood out for his longevity throughout his career, and drew praise in the media for his consistent goalscoring and the high–level of performance he managed to maintain even into his late 30s. In addition to his talent and footballing abilities, Del Piero also drew praise from pundits throughout his career for his leadership with Juventus, and served as the team's captain despite his shy personality; he also drew acclaim in the media for his fair play and correct behaviour on the pitch.

Set pieces

Del Piero was a free kick and penalty kick (62 goals from penalties) specialist. He is the third highest scorer of penalties in Serie A history, scoring 50 times out of 61 attempts, behind only Francesco Totti and Roberto Baggio. Del Piero's unique free kick technique was usually characterised by a curling strike which rose high over the wall, and then suddenly dropped into the top corner of the goal; he attributes his ability on set pieces to the time spent studying Roberto Baggio in training during their time together at Juventus, and was also influenced by the free kick technique of one of his idols, Platini. Indeed, in his early years with the Turin club, Del Piero's free kick technique was compared to that of the Frenchman, as he preferred to strike the ball from a distance of around 20 metres from the goal, with a direct kick, rather than having it touched by a teammate first. Del Piero is currently the Italian all-time top scorer from free kicks in all competitions (52 goals: 46 goals at club level, 6 goals with the Italy national team). He is also the third all-time highest goalscorer of free kicks in Serie A, with 22 goals, behind only Andrea Pirlo and Siniša Mihajlović.

"Del Piero Goal and Zone"
The football media refer to a "Del Piero Goal" (Gol alla Del Piero in Italian), a style of scoring involving a dribbling approach from the flank, followed by a precise, curling lob into the far top corner of the goal, from outside the area, with a player's stronger foot after cutting into the centre; as such, this area of the pitch also became known as the "Del Piero Zone" in the media (Zona Del Piero in Italian). This association came about as Del Piero had scored several goals in this manner, both in open play and from set-pieces, with his right foot after cutting in from the left flank, during his first two seasons under Lippi, in particular during Juventus's victorious 1995–96 Champions League campaign; Del Piero continued to score similar goals throughout his career, and the "Del Piero Goal" label has also been used to describe similar goals by other players.

Goal celebrations
In his later career, after scoring a goal, Del Piero often celebrated by running to the touchline in front of the fans with his arms out-stretched, and sticking out his tongue, in a similar manner to Michael Jordan, also frequently leaping into the air with a raised fist towards the sky, or sliding onto his knees whilst passionately chanting to the crowd. Del Piero also performed a back-flip goal celebration in a 2008 UEFA Champions League match against Zenit, and he also pointed up at the sky after scoring on certain occasions, to dedicate a goal to his late father, such as when he scored against Bari during the 2000–01 season, and Mexico at the 2002 World Cup.

Outside football

Personal life

Del Piero is married to Sonia Amoruso and the two have been together since 1999 and married in 2005. They have three children, son Tobias (born 2007), daughter Dorotea (born 2009), and son Sasha (born 2010).

When the Olympic Flame for the 2006 Winter Olympics passed through Turin, Del Piero was a torchbearer. He has an interest in sports outside of football, particularly basketball, and in turn has gained fans outside of football; sport icons such as NBA star Steve Nash and cyclist Eddy Merckx have stated that they are fans of Del Piero.

Del Piero has a keen interest in music. He has recorded some of his own albums. Along with Marco Materazzi, Del Piero appeared on stage at a Rolling Stones show in Milan shortly after Italy's World Cup win. He is a good friend of musician and singer Noel Gallagher and a fan of his former band Oasis; Del Piero appears in the Oasis video "Lord Don't Slow Me Down". One of Del Piero's inspirations as a youngster was Japanese football manga Captain Tsubasa.

In 2012, Del Piero participated in the Save the Dream project against corruption in the sport and spoke about this at Sorbonne during the Sport Integrity Symposium.

Since March 2018, Del Piero has been running an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles called No.10, representing his jersey No. 10.

Charity work
Del Piero has promoted and supported a number of charities. In 1998, he donated 5.2 million lire to Fondazione Bambini in Emergenza for abandoned children and victims of AIDS by auctioning his Juventus shirt.
 In 2001, he was ambassador for Un gol per la ricerca, a cancer-research project. In 2006, he was AIRC testimonial for the cancer research and in recognition of this, he has received from the President of Italy a prize of Believe in Research. In 2008, he participated in a golf tournament organized by the foundation of Gianluca Vialli and Massimo Mauro for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research. In 2009, he played a friendly match at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino with his team Ale 10+; the proceeds (€180,000) were donated to solidarity projects.

In 2010, Del Piero auctioned off his Juventus shirt number 10 for the foundation Un Campo per L'Aquila. On 1 April 2011, he launched the ale10friendsforjapan project, which he designed to help Japanese earthquake victims creating a website to sell T-shirts and collecting $303,880. In 2011, he participated in the golf tournament Fondazione Sant'Anna Cup – Crescere insieme for the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital Sant'Anna. On 21 July 2012, he played a friendly match at Kashima Stadium organized by J. League (Del Piero scored one goal and he left the field with a standing ovation); the collection was donated to the Japanese earthquake victims of 2011.

Del Piero was testimonial of ADISCO, for the donation of umbilical cord blood, and testimonial of 1GOAL for the education of poor children. In 2015, in honour of Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna, Del Piero facilitated and inaugurated the AYRTON exhibition in Turin, open between February and May 2015. The exhibition is curated by, and with tickets proceeds going to, the Instituto Ayrton Senna charity.

TV, games, and publicity

Del Piero has featured in various advertisements and is under contract with German sports equipment manufacturer Adidas, Uliveto water, Fiat, Japanese motorbike company Suzuki, Pepsi, Bliss, Cepu, Walt Disney, and Upper Deck.

In 2006, Del Piero appeared in a television commercial for the Japanese motor scooter Suzuki Burgman together with the sports agent Andreas Goller. He is also known for his sense of humour and is a popular guest at Italian comedy shows such as Paperissima and Striscia la notizia. He featured in the film L'allenatore nel pallone 2 and in the show La sai l'ultima di Totti, a series of short comedy sketches created by his good friend and Roma captain Francesco Totti in which the two of them and national teammates former A.C. Milan defender Alessandro Nesta, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and striker Antonio Cassano would tell jokes and anecdotes about one another.

Del Piero was featured on the cover of EA Sports FIFA Football 2004 video game, alongside Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho, and on the cover of the Italian edition of the FIFA World Cup 2006 video game. He was also named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 17. He was one of the two stars featured on the cover of the Italian version of PES 2010 video game, the other being Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

In 2015, Del Piero joined Sky Sport Italia as a pundit. In 2017, he appeared in the Netflix docu-series called First Team: Juventus. In 2018, Konami announced that Del Piero would feature in their football video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 as one of the new myClub Legends. Starting in 2020, Del Piero joined ESPN as a football analyst for ESPN FC and UEFA Euro 2020.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Del Piero goal.

Records
 All-time appearances for Juventus in all competitions (705 appearances)
 Second most appearances for Juventus in Serie A (478 appearances)
 Second most appearances for Juventus in Italian League matches (includes Serie A and Serie B) (513 appearances)
 Most appearances for Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana (8 appearances as of 13 August 2017)
 All-time leading scorer for Juventus (290 goals: 186 goals in open play, 62 goals from penalties, 42 goals from free-kicks)
 All-time decisive goals holder for Juventus (135)
 Second most minutes played holder for Juventus (48,363)
 Second most appearances for Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana (6 appearances)
 Second most appearances for Juventus in the UEFA Champions League (92 appearances)
 Second most appearances for Juventus in UEFA club competitions (124 appearances)
 Most appearances for Juventus in international club competitions (130 appearances)
 Second most goals scored in the Supercoppa Italiana, alongside Samuel Eto'o, Andriy Shevchenko, and Carlos Tevez (3)
 Most goals scored in a single season by a Sydney FC player (14)
 Third highest goalscorer from penalties in Serie A (50)
 Third highest goalscorer from free kicks in Serie A (22)
 Italian all-time top scorer from free kicks in all competitions (52 goals: 46 goals at club level, 6 goals with the Italy national team).
 Italian player with the most seasons with 10 goals or more across all club competitions (17 seasons)
 Most goals scored by an Italian international as a substitute (5)
 Joint fourth highest goalscorer for Italy (27 goals, alongside Roberto Baggio)

Honours
Juventus Primavera
Campionato Nazionale Primavera: 1993–94
Torneo di Viareggio: 1994

Juventus
Serie A: 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12
Serie B: 2006–07
Coppa Italia: 1994–95
Supercoppa Italiana: 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003
UEFA Champions League: 1995–96
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
UEFA Super Cup: 1996
Intercontinental Cup: 1996

Italy U21
UEFA Under-21 European Championship: 1996
Italy
FIFA World Cup: 2006
UEFA European Championship: Runner-up: 2000

Individual
 1996 Intercontinental Cup man of the match
 1997–98 UEFA Champions League top scorer (10 goals)
 1999–00 Serie A top assist provider
 2005–06 Coppa Italia top scorer (5 goals)
 2006–07 Serie B top scorer (20 goals)
 Capocannoniere: 2007–08 (21 goals)
 ESM Team of the Season: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
 UNICEF European Footballer of the Season: 1995–96
 Bravo Award: 1996
 1997 Tournoi de France top scorer (3 goals)
 AIC Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year: 1998, 2008
 AIC Serie A Most Loved Player: 2001, 2008
 FIFA 100
 UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: 49th place
 Giuseppe Prisco National Award: 2006
 Piedmontese Sportsman of the Year: 2006
 Special Prize Gentleman Silver Cup: 2006
 San Siro Gentleman Award Serie A: 2006
 Golden Foot Award: 2007
 Telegatto-Best Sportsman: 2007
 ASF Top-100 Players of All-Time – #60: 2007
 AIC Serie A Goalscorer of the Year: 2008
 Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2008
 Pallone d'Argento: 2008–09
 International Award for Sport and Civility-Ambassador of Sports: 2009
 Sportsman of the Year Golden Award: 2010
 Globe Soccer Career Award: 2011
 Novara Fair Play Award: 2011
 AIC Lifetime Achievement Award: 2011
 A-League goal of the season: 2012–13
 Sydney FC Golden Boot: 2013, 2014
 PFA Team of the Season: 2013
 Sydney FC Player of the Year Award: 2013
 Sydney FC Members Award: 2013
 A-League All Stars Game: 2014
 AFC Team of the Decade: 2015
 Sydney FC Team of the Decade: 2015
 Sydney FC Hall of Fame: 2015
 Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2017
 Juventus Greatest XI of All Time: 2017

Orders
 5th Class/Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000

 4th Class/Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006

 CONI: Golden Collar of Sports Merit: 2006

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

 Alessandro Del Piero  at SydneyFC.com
 Alessandro Del Piero at Goal.com

 Alessandro Del Piero at FICG.it
 Alessandro Del Piero  at LegaSerieA.it
 Alessandro Del Piero at AIC.it
 Alessandro Del Piero at Italia1910.com

1974 births
Living people
People of Venetian descent
People from Conegliano
Italian men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Calcio Padova players
Juventus FC players
Sydney FC players
Odisha FC players
Serie B players
Serie A players
A-League Men players
Indian Super League players
UEFA Champions League winning players
Marquee players (A-League Men)
Indian Super League marquee players
Italy men's youth international footballers
Italy men's under-21 international footballers
Italy men's international footballers
UEFA Euro 1996 players
1998 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2000 players
2002 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2004 players
2006 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2008 players
FIFA World Cup-winning players
FIFA 100
UEFA Champions League top scorers
Italian expatriate men's footballers
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Australia
Italian expatriate sportspeople in India
Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia
Expatriate men's footballers in India
Officers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Footballers from the Province of Treviso
Association football people awarded knighthoods


Lithonia High School is a public high school located in Stonecrest, Georgia, United States, near Lithonia. A part of the DeKalb County School District, it serves 1,450 students in grades 9–12.  Darrick McCray is the current principal. The school offers many clubs and extracurricular activities, including book club, Men of Distinction, Future Business Leaders of America, robotics, marching band, and chorus. Sports include baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, golf, tennis, soccer, track, gymnastics, cheerleading, softball, and wrestling.

The school was formerly in the Redan census-designated place.

As of the 2013–2014 school year, students at Lithonia High are required to wear school uniforms.

In 2014, 2015 and 2016, Lithonia was recognized for having a Gates Millennium Scholar.

Accreditation
On December 17, 2012, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced that it had downgraded the DeKalb County Schools System's status from "on advisement" to "on probation," and warned the school system that the loss of their accreditation was "imminent."

However, DeKalb County named Lithonia as one of its top ten improved schools in 2012.

Notable alumni
 Matt Battaglia - former All-American football player, NFL player, actor, Emmy-winning producer
 Alton Brown - Food Network personality
 Kelvin Cato - retired NBA basketball player
 Max Cleland - United States Senator, 1997–2003
 Broderick Jones - NFL offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers
 Mike Potts - former Major League Baseball player
 Jordan Smith - NFL defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars

References

External links
 Lithonia High School

Stonecrest, Georgia
DeKalb County School District high schools


Lu Chao () was born in 1988 in Shenyang, China. The artist currently lives and works between London and Beijing.

Lu Chao's paintings are mostly filled with sketch-like portrayals of a massive number of different faces, evoking a sense of mystery and strangeness. For the artist, the unknown is sublime and he avoids using his work as a carrier for opinions, preferring to leave the door open for viewers to interpret the pieces on their own. He aim to establish an exchange between viewers and the larger universe around them by integrating an expanding world into his own labyrinth of personalized patterns. Through his works, Lu Chao exposes us to the unknown and strangeness of our life, of our world and of our state of mind. We find it difficult to truly understand our own persona, and we find it even more exhausting to comprehend the world around us. The gap between what we do and what we do not know, shapes the beauty and excitements of life.

Education background
Lu Chao completed his Masters at the Painting Department of the Royal College of Art (London, UK) in 2014 and finished his Bachelor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, China) oil painting department in 2012. He also attended Fine Arts School Affiliated to China Central Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 2008.

Solo exhibition
2017

Black Silence, Rosenfeld Porcini Gallery, London, UK

Black Box, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Beijing, China

2016

Black Light, Nathalie Obadia Galerie, Paris, France

2015

Black Mirror, Art Basel, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Hong Kong, China

2013

Black Forest, Hadrien de Montferrand Gallery, Beijing, China

Awards
2018

Forbes China 30 under 30 in Art and Fashion

2014

Painter—Stainers Gordon Luton Award, Royal College of Art, London, UK

Saatchi New Sensations Nominate Exhibition, Solo Award Runners Up, London, UK

RCA Studio Prize, London, UK

2013

Lucy Halford Bursary, Royal College of Art, London, UK

2012

Best Creative Awards, Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, China

2011

Excellent Sketching Award, Central Academy of Fine Art, Beijing, China

2010

Silver Prize, Giant Cup Today National Art Students Awards, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China

Selected museum and public collections

Sammlung Wemhoner Collection

Foundation Louis Vuitton

Ghisla Art Collection

Today Art Museum Beijing

China Central Academy of Fine art

Fine Art School Affiliated to Central Academy of Fine Arts

References

External links
 Official Lu Chao

21st-century Chinese painters
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Painters from Liaoning
Artists from Shenyang


Dilip Rayamajhi (; born 16 September 1974) is a Nepalese film actor, producer and choreographer.

He started his career as a dancer and got his first movie break in a video film as a side dancer and then he was offered the "big break" in the movie "Bhanubhankta".

Rayamajhi is currently working with the Bhutannese-Nepali organization Intra National Welfare Foundation of America under Dilli Adhikari's supervision. He also judges the dancing reality show Mero Dance Universe, which started in 2023 and is Nepal's first international reality show.

Filmography

References

External links

1976 births
21st-century Nepalese male actors
Living people
Nepalese choreographers
Nepalese male dancers
Nepalese film producers
Male actors from Kathmandu
Nepalese male film actors
21st-century Nepalese dancers
20th-century Nepalese dancers