Del Piero breaks remaining Juventus record
Reuters - Saturday 30 October 2010, 22:28
MILAN - An ecstatic Juventus fan ran on
the San Siro pitch with a T-shirt which read "179, there are no
more records left to beat" after the 2-1 win at AC Milan, but
Alessandro Del Piero may have other ideas.
The 35-year-old forward became Juve's all-time top Serie A
scorer with a 179th goal which beat Giampiero Boniperti's record
and turned out to be the winner against his old rivals on
Saturday.
Del Piero, Juve's top scorer in all competitions and record
appearance holder, was expected to retire or leave the club when
his contract expired at the end of the season but he left the
door open for a extension.
"I'll have a think, maybe tomorrow," he told Sky when asked
about next season.
"I'm fit and I want to play, this is the most important
thing. Bit by bit we'll see how things go in the coming months.
My future is very open."
The former Italy forward, who has said he would be willing
to pull on the Azzurri jersey again if called, has moved up to
10th on the all-time Serie A scoring list but Silvio Piola's
record of 274 is too far away.
An attempt on fifth-placed Roberto Baggio's tally of 205
goals and more minor records may tempt him to play on.
Speculation had linked the captain with a move to MLS in the
United States for next term but Juve are gradually improving as
they seek to rediscover their former glory.
The Turin club, Italy's most successful and best supported
team, are still recovering from a 2006 demotion for match-fixing
but a first serious assault on the scudetto in five seasons
looks possible if they can pull off more results like Saturday.
"It has a special taste. At the San Siro we haven't won for
a long time. We've had difficulties with injuries, even
tonight," added Del Piero, aware his fourth-placed side still
trail Milan by two points and surprise leaders Lazio by four.
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, who had disappointed owner
Silvio Berlusconi in the dressing room after the game, refused
to give Del Piero credit for the win.
"We are talking about a match where definitely the result
was not what the play on the pitch said," he said.
"Tonight is certainly the first game where we haven't
deserved to lose."