Del Piero shows love for Juventus

Juventus veteran Alessandro Del Piero has dismissed reports he is stalling on a new contract in the hope of securing a pay rise.

The Juve captain is out of contract in June and yet to agree a new deal with the Turin giants.

The 36-year-old forward has been with Juve since 1993 and scored 280 goals in 667 appearances.

He insists it would be out of character for him to hold the club ransom and would in fact be willing to agree a new deal for any amount they nominate.

“I’ve signed my first blank contract with Juventus,” Del Piero said.

“I’ll sign my last one to wear this jersey blank too.”

“It’s not about money. I’ve earned a lot in my life, though I could have earned more if I’d accepted certain offers.”

“I spoke with the president (Andrea Agnelli) not about financial matters but my willingness to make myself available for next season,” he added.

Del Piero believes he has demonstrated his commitment to the club repeatedly over the past 18 seasons, particularly the year spent in the second division following Juve’s demotion as punishment for a match-fixing scandal.

“My passion and my will to win that has been with me from the Viareggio (youth) tournament to the World Cup, not to mention Serie B,” he said.

“My ties to the colours and the fans cannot be measured in numbers.”