Del Piero has a score to settle with doubters

VOTED Italy’s most popular player in a recent poll, Alessandro Del Piero could be forgiven for showing frustration when asked whether he feels overshadowed by team-mate Francesco Totti.

Instead, the 29-year-old Del Piero paused, smiled and summoned up the appropriate diplomatic response. “Totti is Totti and I am Del Piero,” he told a press conference yesterday. It seems to be a ritual part of the build-up to Italian participation in a major tournament that Del Piero’s ability, form and state of mind are brought into question.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Italy was divided over whether Del Piero or Roberto Baggio should be in the attack.