It’s always hard to pick on an old, battered legend that you respect so much, but Alessandro Del Piero of Juventus is the leading candidate for the dishonor of Most Disappointing Player of 2009/2010. Del Piero is a special player that has had one of the most brilliant careers of any active player in any major league. His statistics over the years are mind-blowing and many modern day stars have admitted that they idolized Del Piero’s style of play during their youth.
And maybe that is exactly what Del Piero’s problem has been this season. That some of those guys that idolized him as teenagers are close to retiring themselves!
Del Piero is 35 years old and going into the season seemed to be a leading candidate for the Best Player 34 & Over Award. But injuries destroyed that dream early in the season and Del Piero did not really get on the pitch until late November. And since his arrival back he and his team have played some of their worst football of the season. Now this losing streak they suffered in December does not squarely rest on the aging shoulders of Del Piero (Juve did suffer many injuries over the last few months), but Del Piero certainly didn’t make matters any better for the lingering club. In fact Del Piero is still searching for his first point of the season. In the seven matches Del Piero has played in this season, Juventus has only won two and they lost four of the remaining five matches.
In other words the Old War Horse has remained in the stable this season.
