The captain: "I work to be number one"

Del Piero: “On the pitch only to win”

Del Piero's moment has finally arrived. Friday the 20th is the 'day of the captain': the first training session with the rest of the team (after a whole day, Thursday, spent on the golf course) and the first press conference. And as always there was no shortage of topics - and plenty of messages for the fans. First of all he touched on the topic of his contract: “There won't be any problems, and the negotiations won't take long, because I want to stay at Juventus”. And then, speaking about the new season: “I work to be number one; I demand the best from myself and from the team. When I go on the pitch, I only do it to win, not just to make a good impression. That’s why we aim to win the League”.

Training camp veteran: “This is the 15th summer camp for me since I've been at Juventus, even though I practically missed all of last year's one. At the end of the day, the only constant is that there's always little time for holidays!”

Returning into the group: “I joined the team again today. In the last few days I worked a lot on the physical and technical side, so I'm already up to speed with the others. I didn't play the Mezzocorona game and I skipped a few training sessions, but now I feel everything is going well”.

China objective: “I'd like to play a few minutes already on Sunday, in Rovereto, against the Chinese Olympic team. In situations like these, we have to take it one day at a time. We still have three training sessions before the game. We'll see”.

Ranieri method: “Because of my injury, I've been getting to know the Manager more off the pitch than on it. Everyone has the right to have their own methods, everyone wants to innovate, and that’s fine. He mustn't choose to use players just for their name or because he likes them as people, but based on what he sees during training. Competition and the desire to be the best are good things. Ranieri has often spoken well about me. I thank him for his words, and it's a good starting point, but in the end it all boils down to how well I’m going to play”.

The new Juve: “The club has operated well; and they've worked hard to rebuild the management side of things. The foundations were very good but there was a lot to do. We have a very good team; we've kept our best players and bought some excellent new ones too”.

Aiming for the top: “I work to be the best: I demand the best from myself, from my work and from the team. I play to win, not just to make a good impression. We should all think like this. We want revenge and there's a lot of enthusiasm, but we all know that we still have a long way to go. We come from Serie B, the team has been renovated, we have a new management staff and the executives have only been here one year. It isn't easy to find the right combination straight away, but the spirit is the key, and that's how I’m living the situation”.

The group: “In the last few weeks I spoke extensively with my team mates, especially Buffon. I'm happy that Trezeguet and Camoranesi have stayed too. This summer camp period is useful to get to know your team mates better, and to talk. We have to create a different spirit, the kind of spirit that has always motivated this team”.

The importance of good health: “You can talk and talk, but the answers only come from the pitch in the end. Reading the papers lately, it's as if I'm on crutches. Last year my body responded very well, I scored a lot of goals and ended up as top scorer, which was something I really wanted. If I had a season like that in Serie B, where they play a rougher game, I don't see why this year can't be the same. The important thing is that I train well”.

The season that’s beginning: “It'll be a really different season from the others; it's starting in a different way, and with a different situation. I'm looking forward to a lot of things”.

The contract: “When they came up to Pinzolo the other day, the executives told me that we have to talk. I don't have any reason to be angry that I'm the last one to have their contract renewed. That can even be an advantage sometimes. If I have something to say, I'll tell the executives directly and not through the papers. I believe and I hope that the negotiations won't take long. During the course of the last year, everybody has had something nice to say about me, the Agnellis, the Chairman, Blanc and Secco. They all pointed out that I'm fundamental to the club and the supporters here also remind me of this, every single day. In addition, and this is the most important thing, my will is to stay here and renew my contract with Juventus”.

Still a lot to give on the pitch: “I love football and I love playing it, I like it because I believe in it. I work with this spirit and this tells you everything you need to know. I won't let anyone take this away from me, but at the same time I won't play just to pass the time or just for the money”.

Del Piero only in black and white: “Do I see myself with another shirt? Yes, it could've happened over the years, a few clubs wanted to sign me, but it never got up to the negotiations stage. In life there are times when you kind of look around. It happened mainly last spring, something could've come of it then, because of a certain situation I wasn't happy with”.

Palladino, the heir: “He has exceptional qualities, he proved it last year. This season will be an important one for him, because playing for Juventus in Serie B is very different from playing for Juventus in Serie A. He'll have to be able to learn and then take his chances. He has excellent potential, he has great skill. I hope he does well”.

Waiting for Juventus vs. Inter Milan: “We can go on and on exchanging messages of peace, but in the end it's still going to be a very different match than all the others. A certain situation has arisen and this will bring tension, but this tension has to be limited to sport, making the match more exciting; it'll be a challenge between two great teams that finally meet again, and hopefully we'll be fighting with them for the title”.

The National team: “I wouldn't like to comment on Totti's situation, it's too complicated and I risk saying the wrong thing. In any case, if he really was to quit the national team, I wouldn't be interested in getting back the number 10 shirt. Am I going to quit? No way, I aim to take part in the World Cup in South Africa, in 2010; but as I like to take one step at a time, I'm concentrating on the European Championships for the time being”.

Collina and refereeing: “I expect referees to be impartial. Collina was often considered for the role of Referee Selector, everybody wanted him, so I don't understand all the fuss now. He's the best man for the job”.

Thank you Pinzolo: “There has been exceptional passion toward us. We’ve been forced to stop and sign autographs and take photos much more often than before. We've had over 5,000 people at the training ground every day. People are keen to see this team. They were keen to see it in Serie A again. They want to dream, just like we do”.