Italian superstar Alessandro Del Piero will play for the A-League All Stars against his former club Juventus where he spent 19 years, officials said Tuesday.
Del Piero was signed by Juventus in 1993 and he remained with the Turin-based club until 2012, playing 705 matches including 11 years as captain.
Now playing his trade with Sydney FC in the Australian domestic league, Del Piero, 39, continues to be idolised in Italy and his decision to play for the All Stars and face his old club for the first time in Sydney on August 10 is a coup for the organisers.
“To have a club of the calibre of Juventus FC come to Sydney is a massive coup for football in Australia,†said Football Federation Australia chief David Gallop in confirming Del Piero will play.
“To put it into perspective, it’s very possible that of the 24 players in the Juventus FC first team squad, 16 players could be at the 2014 FIFA World Cup representing eight different nations.”