Del Piero set to bow out in Cup final

Italian Cup: Final Sunday Juventus  vs  Napoli 20:40 ROME Alessandro Del Piero is set to play his last game for Juventus on Sunday when the Serie A champions take on Napoli in the final of the Coppa Italia in front of a packed Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Friday, May 18, 2012
Alessandro Del Piero.

Italian Cup: FinalSunday Juventus  vs  Napoli 20:40ROME Alessandro Del Piero is set to play his last game for Juventus on Sunday when the Serie A champions take on Napoli in the final of the Coppa Italia in front of a packed Stadio Olimpico in Rome.The 37-year-old Juventus captain is a hero in Turin, having scored 290 goals in 704 games, but the board has not renewed his contract and is likely to head to the United States next term.Over 19 years, Del Piero has won six Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, one Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup, as well as the 2006 World Cup with Italy.That same year as the Azzurri’s triumph in Berlin, he took a step down to Serie B - Italian football’s second tier - after Juve were relegated following a match-fixing scandal.However, he helped them return straight back to the top flight as champions.Last week he bid an emotional farewell to Serie A, typically scoring as Juventus beat Atalanta 3-1 to become only the third side to go an entire campaign unbeaten having won their first official title since 2003 the week before.After being substituted in the second half, he accepted the invitation to stand in front of the Juventus Stadium’s Curva Sud and the applause of teary-eyed ultra supporters, before heading over to the other side of the ground and receiving a similar ovation."I’ve never seen such a thing before. Let’s say that the fans won us another title,” said the number 10 after his tribute."What happened today is something incredibly beautiful, the bond with these people goes beyond anything else.”Should Juventus win on Sunday it will be their 10th Coppa Italia and with it their third domestic double.