He became famous at a young age, and his debut was a collection of thousands of favors in one of his shooting skills, and there is even a legend in football that he named an area after him, he repeatedly fell into the trough, but repeatedly rose up in the dormant, and finally broke all doubts that he was the banner of Juventus, he was the Zebra prince who was willing to suffer with the team, he was Piero
When we read the stories of the stars, we will find that many star families have some relationship with football. Big names such as Thiago and D. Maldini, whose fathers are already world-class superstars, have received the best football influence from an early age; even if there is no such star in the elders, most players will have the keyword of sports in their "home study", which also allows them to more easily step into the sports circle.
But none of this, Piero has.
On November 9, 1974, in an ordinary family in Conegliano, Italy, Piero was born. His mother was a housewife and his father was an electrical repairman who didn't seem to have anything to do with football.
In his childhood, Piero's biggest dream was to travel abroad, but due to the family's financial conditions, Piero could not achieve his dreams, and he also set his ambition to become a truck driver when he grew up at this time - because this profession allowed him to go out and see the world.
Football may be more suitable for the younger Piero than expensive travel, and playing with friends in a local youth team became Piero's first thing.
In the beginning, Piero even volunteered to become a goalkeeper in order to gain more playing time, but gradually he found that perhaps the forward position was more suitable for him than the goalkeeper, and his talent in this position far exceeded his talent in the goalkeeper position, and also surpassed most of his peers.
Perhaps it was also on the court in his hometown that Piero and his family realized that he was the lucky one who was "eaten by God", that his ordinary family origin did not affect his talent on the football field at all, that he would not become an electrical repairman like his father, that he should not become a truck driver, that he should become a star.
So at the age of 14, Piero was sent to the academy of Serie B side Padua. Every next step he took was smooth: he was promoted to the first team of Padua at the age of 17 to become a professional player, and at the age of 19, he was favored by Juventus with his outstanding talent and successfully landed in the big club.
After joining Juve, the much-regarded youngster Piero was hand-picked by then coach Trapattoni to train with the first team, although he still needed to play with the youth team. Of course, such days did not last long, Piero quickly made his Juve first team debut, and he quickly proved with his excellent performance that the manager was serious about him.
On 4 December 1994, Juventus faced fiorenti Fiorentina, with an injured Baggio who was not playing well, and was replaced by Piero, who was not yet 20 years old. When the long-haired teenager scored a shocking volley, the entire Frankie Stadium fell silent.
From that moment on, Piero was given the name Prince of Zebra. But at the coming-of-age ceremony of the new prince, the most striking footnote is the old prince Baggio's sadness, and the truth is always so cruel...
At the end of the season, Baggio moved to AC Milan, wearing the No. 18 red and black stripe, and two years later, he transferred to The National Milan, while the No. 10, which symbolized the core status, was worn by Piero without suspense.
But the young Piero did not disappoint, as he led Juve, who has always been criticized for his lack of external strength, in the Champions League final to beat the golden generation of Ajax and win the last Big Ear Cup in Serie A of the last century.
This year, Piero was only 21 and a half years old. The "Zebra Prince" has ascended to the top of Europe, which has also given football a new term from then on - "Piero Area".
Before the "Messi Corridor" officially appeared, it was the only core activity area in football named after a player, even the kings of the two generations of the penalty area, Romario and Van Nistelroo, did not have such treatment.
From the large exclusion zone on the left to the small exclusion zone, this small plot of less than 20 square meters is the most comfortable dessert area in Piero. Here, the Juve No. 10 usually first observes the defensive line with the ball, calmly pulls the ball sideways with his left foot in the face of the scrambled defender, and then launches a fatal blow with the right foot that he is best at. The shocking Serie A and Champions League debuts are masterpieces of the "Piero zone".
However, even the most talented players will encounter all kinds of setbacks, and no one's career will be smooth. Piero's predecessor, Baggio, is like this, and Piero naturally needs to face it.
In 1998, Piero, who won the Champions League Golden Boot, was unfortunately injured in the final, and the continuous injury not only made him in a stateless state at the World Cup, but also 8 of the nine goals scored in Serie A the following year were penalties.
In Euro 2000, he was appointed as a substitute in the final, but he lost 2 single knives in the best Piero area, and the Blues suffered Trezeguet's kill in overtime, losing the championship, piero became the sinner of the Italian team.
In the following seasons, the "Zebra Prince" experienced another Defeat in the Champions League final and suffered the worst blow before the 2006 World Cup: the "Phonegate" incident, the beloved Juve will be stripped of the league title of the season and relegated to Serie B.
It is about to usher in a national team competition trip full of regrets, the club has also been relegated, and piero's psychological pressure can be imagined at that time.
But as the saying goes: not to erupt in despair, but to perish in despair. How can the "Zebra Prince" be crushed by setbacks? His answer, of course, was an outburst.
In the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, Italy encountered a sworn enemy Germany, and Piero, who came off the bench, killed the game with a freehand provocation in extra time, and the goal location was still the familiar "Piero area". Italy also passed the German team and won the Hercules Cup against France in the final.
After 6 years, he finally completed his redemption.
However, returning to the Alpine Stadium with the Hercules Cup, he has to face Serie B, which he has never set foot in his life.
Cannavaro went to Real Madrid, Zambrotta went to Barca, Ibrahimovic went to Inter... When the great disaster comes, some people fly separately, and some people choose to stick to it, such as Piero.
With no familiar victories and titles, only incessant cynicism, Piero shows the world what loyalty is and what faith is on the darkest page of Juve's history.
It was another 6 years of ups and downs, and another 6 years of silent perseverance.
In the 2011-12 Coppa Italia quarter-finals, facing the strong opponent Roma, Piero once again scored a wonderful shot in the "Piero area", wearing a black and white stripe for 20 years, scoring goals every season Piero, when he faded his beloved shirt, the goal was locked at 290, which was the only god of the 200-goal club in the history of the Bianconeri team.
"The No. 10 shirt is for wearing, not for retirement," was Piero's last message when he waved goodbye to his beloved City of Turin.
"Strangers are like jade, princes are unparalleled" - this is the best condensation of Piero's 20-year zebra career.
As an excellent Italian "No. 9 and a half" player, the technically versatile Piero can play in multiple positions in the frontcourt. He can use his personal ability to kill the game in the "Piero area" he is most familiar with; he can calmly receive the ball in the penalty area and use his superb shooting skills to turn his teammates' brilliant passes into goals; and he is more capable of retreating to connect the entire team's frontcourt attack.
"Whether it is a high light or a low, it is calmly faced, and the more frustrated it is, the more courageous it is."