Sports Nicknames - Pinturicchio, Fantasista

Alessandro Del Piero is one of the greatest Italian football players of all-time spending 19 seasons with Juventus and winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup with the 'Azzurri'. He has made a name for himself as a true football legend in Turin and generally in Italy.



Recognized for his creativity on the pitch, scoring instinct and leadership, Del Piero was among the best players of his generation.

Early in his career, as he was one of the shortest players on the pitch whose passing and goal-scoring skills often looked like a work of art, Del Piero earned the nickname "Pinturicchio", meaning the little painter by the famous Italian painter Bernardino di Betto who lived during the Renaissance in the second part of the fifteenth century.

Many have also referred to him as "fantasista" due to his creative style of play and technical skill and in the later stage of his career he was also called "il capitano".

He represented his country at four UEFA European competitions and three FIFA World Cups and was one of the key players in the 2006 team that won the World Cup in Germany.

Del Piero is the fourth top scorer in the history of the Italian national team with 27 goals as many as Roberto Baggio and he also stands 11th with 91 appearances for the Azzuri.

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