Calcio fans based in the USA will have something to celebrate as ESPN has a new star among them. The broadcast network recently announced the signing of Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero, with the 2006 World Cup winner set to make his debut for ESPN FC as a studio analyst on Saturday, March 6th at 20:00 EST (17:00 PST).
It's the perfect time for Del Piero to appear, as his former team Juventus will be taking on Lazio at 14:45 EST (11:45 PST) on the same day, thus giving him the opportunity to offer his insight on that crunch tie.
Following the announcement, the 46-year-old expressed his excitement in teaming up with ESPN, namely due to the rapidly growing football fanbase in the United States as well as the emergence of young American players on the world stage.
Most Serie A followers worldwide will fondly remember Del Piero's days in Turin, where he spent 19 out of his 23 professional playing years. During his time in the Bianconeri kit, he not only served as the club's skipper for 11 seasons, but won numerous titles, including seven Scudetti (six in Serie A and one in Serie B), one Coppa Italia, four Super Coppa Italianas and a Champions League trophy (during the 1995/1996 season).
Over the course of his nearly 20 years featuring for La Vecchia Signora, he established himself as a free-kick and penalty specialist; with 22 free-kicks, he's third on the all-time list (behind former Azzurri teammate Andrea Pirlo and Serbian international Sinisa Mihajlovic), while his 50 successfully converted penalties (out of 61) also puts him in third spot (behind additional former Azzurri colleagues Francesco Totti and Roberto Baggio).
Not surprisingly, he's currently not only Juve's all-time top goalscorer (290 goals) but also has made the most appearances (705) before departing in 2012.
After a couple of years playing with Australian side Sydney FC, he hung up his boots after a term featuring for Indian outfit Dehli Dynamos. In 2006, his late goal against Germany was enough to down die Mannschaft and send Italy into the final, and he easily converted his penalty to help fire the Azzurri to their fourth World Cup title.
Now based in Los Angeles, Del Piero, who notably won multiple prizes in Italy for his fair conduct on the pitch, will be featuring on American television for the first time. He also serves as a pundit for Sky Sports Italia, where he will continue to feature alongside his work for ESPN.
Del Piero is the third World Cup winner on ESPN's roster, as he will be joining Jurgen Klinsmann (won it in 1990 with Germany) and Frank Lebeouf (won it in 1998 with France), alongside a slew of other club legends.
