Alessandro Del Piero received his No.10 jersey in front of about 2,000 excited fans at Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.
Alessandro Del Piero received his No.10 jersey in front of about 2,000 excited fans at Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.
Sydney FC held a fan day and open training session which gave football enthusiasts the opportunity to see the Hyundai A-League’s most high-profile signing in action.
The 37-year-old received his jersey from Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow before saying a few words to the crowd.
“I want to say thank you to all of you, my first week here was perfect,” Del Piero said.
“Very nice people and hopefully we will be able to win the title.”
Del Piero stayed for close to an hour afterwards signing autographs and taking photos with fans.
One supporter described it as the best day of his life and is convinced Del Piero’s arrival will have a massive effect on the popularity of the A-League.
“He brings experience, he brings class and he’s going to put bums on seats, which is good,” the fan said.
“We’ve been coming to the games for years anyway, but now it just seems everyone else wants to.”
Italian forward Del Piero is expected to play his first game for the club in Wednesday’s pre-season trial match against Central Coast Mariners at Allianz Stadium, but the game will be closed to fans.
Del Piero said he has been suffering from jet lag, while it is unclear if he will be available for Sydney’s opening A-League match against Wellington Phoenix on October 6.
The Hyundai A-League 2012/13 season kicks off on Friday 5 October with the season-s first Melbourne derby at Etihad Stadium. Click here for tickets to all the matches.
The official Hyundai A-League 2012/13 fantasy football game and tipping competitions are also open – so sign up now.
