Alessandro Del Piero, former Juventus captain and now a commentator, spoke at the Social Football Summit, held at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. He ranged from TikTok to nostalgia for the 2006 World Cup and the places football has taken him.
TikTok and Social Media
Del Piero described his first TikTok video as an emotional moment. “I have always seen social media with curiosity and as important to follow, because they give visibility. Social media can go beyond entertainment. The community is very broad, with different purposes. The video, the most viral I have made, was for an important message.”
On his approach: “I do not make any video dedicated to a community or particular age groups. There were countries like Brazil and Indonesia where I have never played apart from a few friendlies, and many people come from there. I want to convey who I am, at certain moments. I believe in spontaneous and direct communication. I do not want to do things to please others. We construct a bit too much of who we are not on social media. It is better to show the flaws, but show what I am.”
The World Cup and 2006
He recalled the 20th anniversary of Italy’s 2006 triumph. “I have always followed the World Cups, and in many cases I work on them. This time there was this collaboration that led us to do quizzes and interactions to get to know the groups better. The 2026 World Cup was far from the Italian community for many reasons, so we did this to get closer. It was played in three countries, and many stadiums were not known.”
On nostalgia: “There were inevitable cues: dates, the teams taking part. We, alas, were not there. The path, apart from the World Cup in Qatar, offers historic, nostalgic anniversaries that give you shivers. The semi-final and final of 2006 still give me shivers. I was present and involved. It is about putting the dots on the i’s, as Italians who know how to do great things.”
He added: “We all remember where we were on 9 July 2006. Many were not born. I remember the 1982 World Cup, when I was eight. Remembering those happy moments does us good.”
Women’s Football and a Career Abroad
“Women’s sport has grown. What the national team has done first of all, and then teams like Juventus. I have a daughter who plays football, going from Australia to the United States to Spain. Sport is cross-cutting regardless of sex or race, and that is the beauty of it.”
He then reflected on his own path. “I was born in a small village and I had a great passion that my father and brother passed on to me. I made an important move at 13, I never missed home, but even in the difficult moments I looked ahead. I made all the sacrifices looking at the future and hoping to achieve important results. Then there was the move to this city, which was mine for 18 years. Then Australia, the United States, Spain… now I am back in Italy. The move to Australia changed my life because I opened up to different worlds. I had never thought of myself away from football. Today I live it on TV and see it from another side, but the common denominator is football and passion. Today I have the same spirit as the beginning: do everything at 100%, otherwise I do not do it.”
What Is on Del Piero’s Phone
Asked what we would see on his phone, he joked. “I obviously use it to have fun. There is a guy who passes… no, I won’t say. Entertainment, animals, animals doing entertainment. There are things cats and dogs do that are incredible. From sport I like statistics on current and past players.”
On the future of his content: “I approach everything with humility. The format could continue, and the leitmotif could be the same. I will never do dances, they would not be interesting. Will I dance? Not now. Then I want to continue to inform myself. Information can be dedicated to personal education or in general to what can serve in life.”
