We should have been prepared for this. Every summer, it seems, Trezeguet is out the door whether to Barcelona, back to France, or even within Italy. And every summer, whether Trezeguet says "ne ho fatto 15, e adesso me ne vado" in a public display against Spezia in Serie B, he ended up staying. For that reason, I was hoping that we would hit September 1st, and Trezeguet would be still be in the squad to finish out the last year of his contract. There was glimpses of hope, too, as supposedly positive pre-season performances "convinced" Delneri of his worth.
(Side note- never listen to what Delneri says about the mercato, ever again)
It happened, however. For the first time in an entire decade, David Trezeguet is no longer a player for our beloved Vecchia Signora. The Franco-Argentine has moved to the lovely town of Alicante, hometown of his wife Beatrice. In thanks for his service to the club, Juventus handed him a free transfer and are paying the majority of his salary for the next year, as the newly promoted side Hercules CF cannot afford his 4.5million a year wages. And it hurts like hell.
We paid tribute to Trezeguet when he surpassed Omar Sivori's record last year with a goal against Atalanta, and nothing has changed since then. I think the post stands well on it's own, so I have copied portions of it below.
It's an Argentine thing...
When Trezeguet arrived in the peninsula in 2000, he wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms. A very talented young player, though not necessarily a superstar, he had just knocked Italy out of the Euro2000 final with a splendid volley in overtime to give France the golden goal it needed to win the cup. That season he was coached by Ancelotti, who ironically would prefer him later in the season to Inzaghi, which forced him out for a large transfer fee to Milan.
Speaking of Milan, that's where Trezeguet started his account, in an exciting 2-2 comeback, where Conte finished the comeback in the 90th minute. Zidane dribbled up the field, avoiding a slide tackle from a young Rino Gattuso, and crossed the ball. It was poorly headed by a Milan defender right into Trezeguet's path, who headed it into the net. It was a classic Trezeguet goal, lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on a mistake.
Trezeguet is a classic poacher, and quite possibly the best in the world at his position, but because he does little off-the-ball work doesn't quite get the appreciation from Juventini he deserves. He can go missing for 90 minutes, and then pop up out of nowhere with the winner. For that reason, sometimes it's hard to tell if he's having a bad game or a typical Trez-style game, and I'd hate to be a coach deciding whether to sub him off or not.
Personally, I have always been a huge fan of Trezegol. He's underappreciated by Juve fans and by the media in general, his scoring rate for France and Juventus is stunning, and he has many qualities people ignore, chiefly, his consistency. He does not bang in 5 goals a game and go 2 months without scoring. For a player with as many goals as he does, he does not have that many hat-tricks, a testament to his league consistency. Second, there is the consistency in his years. A lot of players take a while to get their career started, and some wane earlier than others. Last season is the only one in his entire Juve career where he failed to score 10+ goals, an amazing statistic when you think about it. And lastly, his consistency applies to all clubs- he's scored plenty against Inter, Milan, Real Madrid, etc, but also against Empoli, Vicenza, and relegation-battling teams.
His first 100 goals in Serie A
Alex paid tribute to his long-term strike partner on his official site, in a beautiful note.
Dear David,
The moment has come to say goodbye. I have lost count of the seasons we have played together, or of the goals we scored. Quite obviously, we are the strike duo who has scored the most in the history of Juventus, more than John Charles and Omar Sivori -two incredible champions - and this you know well is a great pride for both of us.
How many formations in this year finished this way? Del Piero-Trezeguet, Trezeguet-Del Piero. Many victories, many disappointments (fortunately, they can never take the satisfactions from us!) so many hugs, there is no other player who I have played with more.
17 goals averaged a season, like your shirt number. This says enough for the bomber you are. But for me who played by your side, there is no need for numbers. It was an honor to play as as the strike partner with one of the best strikers in the world, ever.
Now our roads have divided, in calcio, it happens. I will salute you in the locker room, but I wanted to do it also publicly. Good luck for your new adventure. We will have so many wonderful memories to share, the next time we see each other.
Arrivederci, David.
Last summer, we said farewell to Pavel Nedved. This summer, we say "see you later" to another member of the Old Guard, another one of those genuine world-class players who played in the Champions League final, but also in Serie B in the provinces. While I would have liked to see David remain one more year and get his Nedved-style stadium farewell (and I think he'd score more goals than Amauri given the playing time...) I think this move was wanted from both parties. Trezegol still has the desire to play and the fitness to do so, he is going to his wife's hometown where he will be the Prince of Alicante as the first name on the teamsheet.
Adieu, David. May our paths cross again. We will see you at the stadium next year when we engrave your name on the Walk of Fame.
