** ALEX: On top of the world

Alex is already a hero for the fans and the club decides to lean on him without any hesitation; Roberto Baggio moves to Milan and from that time on No. 10 is stuck to Alex's jersey forever. It is the champions' number and Del Piero wears it with natural class, honouring it with his wonderful play, which takes the team to the mostly longed-for target: Champions League. It starts in Dortmund, against Borussia and Alex delights everyone: the Germans take the lead right away with former Juve player Moeller, the Bianconeri earn the draw soon after with Padovano.

The match is hard but the wonder boy from San Vendemmiano keeps in store a shot that is destined to go down in history: from the left top intersection of the penalty area markings, he drives a spinning shot that gets in between the far post and the crossbar, right into the top corner of the goal. It's what will be known as the "Del Piero-like goal", that he had already shown in Italy against Napoli but which becomes his International trademark after the European match against the Germans and repeated against Ranger Glasgow and Steaua Bucharest. His most precious goal arrives in the quarter-finals match: Juventus have to fight back from the 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid at Bernabeu and it takes Alex sixteen minutes to sort it out with a spiteful free kick which Canizares just cannot counter. Padovano will seal the result, paving them the way for the semi-finals against Nantes and opening up their way to triumph in Rome.

Juventus are the Lady of Europe and on November, 26th 1996 they become the queen of the world. The Intercontinental Cup is missing since 1985 among their trophies, since their win over Argentinos Junior which was achieved thanks to the penalty converted by Michel Platini. Once again, the Bianconeri will be face to face with the Argentines, those of little jewel Ortega's River Plate. Journalists get carried away making comparisons between the South-American player and Del Piero and if you read those comparisons now they nearly sound blasphemous. It's Alex who is crucial in solving the match, breaking through a small gap in the Argentine defence with his right-foot accuracy, at the very end of the full time, taking Juventus on top of the Olympus of world soccer.