Position: Forward
Born: 09.11.74
Club: Juventus

Alessandro del Piero is one of the finest footballers to appear in the modern game.

He has consistently scored goals throughout his career mainly thanks to his ability to hit the target from virtually anywhere.

Not known for being an out-and-out striker, he usually plays in a free role and is renowned for his dribbling skills. On top of this, he is also a dead-ball specialist and has scored a number of memorable free-kicks over the years.

As Juve captain, he scored 14 goals last season and led the side to yet another Scudetto title.

He has been in equally good form this time around and has entered Juve's record books as their all-time record scorer, notching over 280 goals for the Italian giants.

However, despite his unbelievable talent and huge success at club level, del Piero has often struggled to reproduce his club form for the national side.

He has struck 24 times in 67 appearances for Italy but is still not an automatic first choice as he has often been restricted to a sub's role as recent coaches have preferred Roma's Francesco Totti in his role.

This will be del Piero's third World Cup and he will be hoping to make the biggest impact yet as it is likely to be his last chance for international honours.