La Galaxia de Estrellas

It was a fun start to the Serie A season this past weekend. We saw Roma look unbelievable, Inter look beatable, and Catania look like a team worth supporting. Well, at least their manager Silvio Baldini is someone to support. Not only was he sent off and fined for kicking Parma boss Domenico Di Carlo in the ass toward the end of the match, but he did so while dressed like someone who spent the previous evening passed out in a puddle of piss on a park bench. Truly he is an inspiration to slobs everywhere. He also shows how to apologize to everyone but the victim. Baldini said Monday:

I want to excuse myself with everyone - Parma fans included - but not to him. He provoked me

He is a legend in the making.

Scontro Baldini Di carlo ITALIA UNO 2
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Jose Mourinho half time team talk

Aparaajit's Preview:

Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea! If everyone are goin to bet on the same old rich team winnin the league yet again, well they’d have to think deeply again. I think there are discussions by fans about teams like Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham that they’d be content fighting for second place!!! Now that’s rubbish!!!

How can this be???? When a season starts everyone are equal, which would technically mean that even a newly promoted team is in with a chance. Well, Wigan showed that last season, spending much of the first half of the season in the top 5 !!! Such cases are rare though!

The EPL has always lived upto its expectations. It’s such an exciting and unpredictable league and I think Chelsea could experience quite a few upsets this year. Well, last year Arsenal hammered Middlesbrough 7-0 and Chelsea lost to the same team 3-0. This is football and moreover the English Premier League, so anything is possible!!!!!

If one sees the teams on paper, it would take a brave man and someone who has zero football knowledge to actually say that the Chelsea roster isn’t the strongest. Adding Ballack, Obi Mikel, Shevchenko to this already impressive squad could only spell more danger for the other teams, but let’s think of this from another point of view.

Remember when Abramovich took over in 2003, it took one whole season for the side to develop and for the players to understand each other on and off the pitch…I think Chelsea could face a similar situation this year!! They’ve signed far too many players, and all of them being superstars have some kind of an egocentric attitude (something you find in almost all stars)
Bsides, tactically Chelsea have problems as well!!! There’s uncertainty about William Gallas’ future at the club and with Del Horno already out of England, they can only hope that Ashley Cole arrives from their London rivals. So as of now, they lack a proper left back.
Also, the problems are further intensified with the midfield battle. Ballack and Lampard play in more or less identical roles and if Mourinho were to play them in the startin line-up that would mean that either Essien or Makelele would have to watch from the sidelines!!
As for Manchester United, they have lost Ruud to Real Madrid, but they’ve made an important signing in Michael Carrick!!! They’ve lacked a proper central midfielder after the departure of Keane with Giggs and Fletcher playing in that position and even Kieran Richardson taking up that role! But now with Carrick, they’ve got a versatile central midfielder who can spray passes around and also get forward. They are tryin to further strengthen their central midfield options with Marcos Senna linked with a move to old Trafford. And with great players like Rooney, Giggs, Ronaldo, Scholes and Neville in the squad they are in with a shout!

Arsenal-conservative as ever. That’s Arsene Wenger’s style. Never looked too deep into the transfer market. They have attracted one star though- Tomas Rosicky who could possibly fill the gap left by Rober Pires who left the Gunners for Villareal. He’s not the only one who’s left the Gunners’ already small roster. With Dennis Bergkamp retiring and Sol Campbell in Pompey (plus the possibility of Cole and Reyes moving) it seems to be an inexperienced weak squad with the possibility of some young talents getting minutes on the pitch for the main team (a great example would be 17-year old Theo Walcott)… With players like henry on your side, you are always assured of goals especially with great support from midfield and fellow strikers like van Persie, Walcott and Adebayor. In fact , I dare say the Arsenal attack force is the best in the premiership!!

Liverpool.. hmm.. they’ve had a pre-season they’d love to forget!!! A nightmare!! But they did win 2-1 in the first leg of their champions league qualifiers. They have a talented squad with additions like Gonzalez, Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Pennant. But so far they’ve looked far from convincing. I think this wont be a great season for them and they’ll struggle. Hopefully, with their driving force and inspirational captain, they can hope to finish in the top 4 or 3 maybe

That’s not it. The EPL comprises of 20 teams and not just 4. There are the other contenders like Tottenham and Newcastle who have strengthened their squads and could really challenge the contenders or atleast secure a spot in Europe for sure.

And there are these small teams (mostly mid table and bottom half) who may not be contenders but might affect the points of the contenders.

MY PREDICTION:

1.Manchester Utd/Arsenal
2.Chelsea FC
3.Manchester Utd/Arsenal
4.Liverpool/Tottenham

And I think the Wigan wonderboys are definitely capable of doin some damage to the pther teams and finishing in a creditable position. The same with Newcastle united. The team that is really goin to struggle this year is Middlesbrough. Haven’t made any signings and with Southgate retiring (and becoming manager), he has ABSOLUTELY NO COACHING EXPERIENCE!!! THIS COULD WELL TURN OUT TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST EPL SEASONS!!!! (that’s what people tell before the start of EVERY season, and I’m doin likewise)

My Preview:

The English Premier League. Arguably the best league in the world. And this season I think it will be up to our expectations. With more stars coming in and with a very few going out and many swapping clubs inside England, I think 2006-07 will have high quality competition. I only hope that there are lesser contoversies and more of fair-play football in the upcoming season.

I shall start off with my predictions. I think at the end of the season the top of the Premiership table will look like this:

1. Manchester United
   
2. Chelsea/Liverpool
   
3. Chelsea/Liverpool
   
4. Arsenal
   
5. Tottenham/Newcastle
   
6. Tottenham/Newcastle
   

Ok, I do know that Chelsea have bought Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko, Obi Mikel and Kalou are in to strenghten their squad. But still I think that Man Utd have a better chance to clinch yet another title as they are a happier outfit than Chelsea. The team has become more solid with the arrivals of Kuszczak and midfield maestro Michael Carrick. Paul Scholes and Gabriel Heinze are fit again. Ruud van Nistelrooij has left Manchester Utd for Real Madrid which many say is for the better of Manchester United. I only hope that they bring in a striker or two along with another holding midfielder (Owen Hargreaves seems to be a perfect fit, Lets see if that can happen).
Liverpool have added speed to their team with the signatures of Mark Gonzales and Craig Bellamy. But I still doubt whether the strikers they have would score enough goals to get them any silverware this season. Stevie G would be as important as ever for them. Drastic pre-season friendlies, a narrow win at home in a Champions League Qualifier and finally a win against Chelsea in the FA Community Shield has displayed Liverpool's mixture of fortunes. I can only hope that their performance this season will be consistent and that they do edge Chelsea to finish second.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have a weakened squad from last season. I really doubt whether the squad they have now will better their 4th place finish last season. Tomas Rosicky's addition to the squad has strenghthened their attack. But with Chelsea on the verge of buying Ashley Cole and the departure of Sol Campbell has really weakened if not the capability atleast the confidence of their defence. But you cannot take anything away from the back four of Eboue, Toure, Senderos and Flamini as they broke the champions league record of most consecutive clean sheets.
With Lehmann, as their custodian, guarding the goal as if there is gold inside, I completely agree with Mr.Wenger that Cole's departure will not be as drastic as expected. Cesc Fabregas has been amazing pre-season, let us see if he can maintain his form during the season and help Arsenal. Overall, I, like any other gunner, hope that Wenger does get in a good defender in terms of experience atleast.
Newcastle and Tottenham are in a similar shape, atleast according to me. I think the players whom Newcastle bought last season will fire this season. With Glen Roeder as their manager I do hope something good happens to the toon army. Tottenham, well, cant say much about them. They have been a revelation under the guidance of Martin Jol. I hope the new signings combine well with the already present squad and help them on to a good top 6 finish.
For me West Ham will be a surprise package yet again this season. They have an amazing squad and Alan Pardew has made very useful signings when he brought in Robert Green, Lee Bowyer, John Paintsil, and Carlton Cole. They have an amazing talent in Dean Ashton and I really hope that the hammers do well come this season. Manchester City too have made great signings and have sold off most of their squad. Blackburn too, like city, have made value for their money. Aston Villa are yet to buy any player but they have got the golden signature of Martin O'Neill. Randy Lerner, a US business magnate has bought the club and has promised to spend in the transfer market. I really hope something good happens to this historic club. Wigan, this season I think will not be as good as they were last season as most of their hard working squad got dismantled.
To me, the biggest disappointment this season will be Bolton and Boro. I dont know why but I get this feeling that they will not be able to perform like last season.
In all, it is going to be yet another exciting season of the English Premier League and I too like any other football freak can't wait to see it!!!!

Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentine professional football player who plays as a midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata. He is the son of Argentina striker Juan Ramón Verón, who was known as La Bruja (The Witch) and who scored against Manchester United in the 1968 World Club Championship at Old Trafford for Estudiantes. In 1993 La Brujita (Little Witch) signed from school for Estudiantes de La Plata – his father's former side. In 1996 he joined Boca Juniors, playing 17 games and scoring three goals. He made his international debut for Argentina, against Poland, in the same year. Sven-Göran Eriksson signed him for Sampdoria shortly afterwards.
In 1998, after starring for Argentina in the World Cup, he signed for Parma in a £15m deal. The following year, Parma won the Coppa Italia. Eriksson then signed him again, this time for Lazio in an £18.1m deal, reportedly netting a weekly wage of £48,000. Coincidentally, he made his debut for Lazio in the Italian side's 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the European Super Cup in Monaco.
In 2000, Verón was the driving force for Lazio as they captured the scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup. But in February the following year, the rumours about the validity of his passport caught up with him.
After the 2001 season he moved from Lazio to Manchester United on July 12 for £28.1 million in a five-year deal, the most expensive transfer in English football at that time. Upon signing for Manchester United, he said he had no fear of the Premiership. Unfortunately, after an impressive start, the pace of the English game started to get the better of him, as some games passed him by, and he was unable to settle into the United midfield. His future at United was constantly debated throughout the season and into the 2002 World Cup, where he again started well, but faded as Argentina fell at the first hurdle.



There was plenty of pressure on him at the start of his second season at Old Trafford, and his performances did seem to improve considerably, especially in the Champions League where he scored four goals and was at the heart of United's successes in the group stages. However, injury meant that he missed much of the end of the season, and that may have convinced Sir Alex Ferguson that he could do without the Argentinian.
When Chelsea came in for him following the arrival of billionaire Roman Abramovich, Verón claimed that he wanted to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, but Ferguson was willing to let Chelsea talk to him, and he was eventually convinced by then Chelsea manger Claudio Ranieri that his future lay at Stamford Bridge, where he had much to prove. His transfer fee to Chelsea was about half that of his record-breaking transfer of just two years before, signed 4-years-deal, showing both the fall in the transfer market and the decline of his reputation.
Verón made an excellent start to his Chelsea career by scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 victory away at Liverpool, but, as in his two seasons with United, he fell away as the 2003-04 season progressed and made only 14 appearances for Chelsea. He was bothered by a back injury for most of the season, and even if he was fit, most Chelsea fans would have preferred Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele operating in midfield. Those 14 appearances and that one goal at Anfield would be all that Veron achieved in a Chelsea shirt, leading to Veron being regarded one of the worst flops in the history of the club. Certainly, Veron's failure - after the costly outlay in signing him - was a factor in Chelsea's decision to part ways with manager Ranieri.



After José Mourinho took over as manager following the season, Verón became the first casualty of Mourinho's promised cleanout of the Chelsea roster. He was loaned out to Inter, where he found the slow tempo and thoughtful game to his liking much more than the physical, energetic, "attack at all costs" mentality of the English Premier League, for the 2004-05 season, and from 24 June 2005 he subsequently returned to Inter on loan for a further two seasons, which finished the contract with Chelsea F.C.. With Inter, he won the 2005 and 2006 Coppa Italia.
In mid 2006, when he expressed his desire of returning to his home country, he received offers from Boca Juniors and River Plate, but he preferred to return to his first team, announcing on June 5, that he would play for Estudiantes in the 2006-07 season.
In 2004, he was chosen for the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary observances.
Verón has Italian citizenship. He also has a tattoo of Che Guevara on his right arm.

PROFILE:

Full name: Juan Sebastián Verón
DOB: March 9, 1975
Birthplace: La Plata, Argentina
Nationality: Argentinian
EU passport: No
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Club: CA Estudiantes La Plata
Position: Midfielder [R, L, C]
Number:
Contract Expires:
Previous Clubs: Estudiantes de La Plata > Boca Juniors > Sampdoria > Parma > Lazio > Manchester Utd > (£15m) Chelsea > Internazionale > Estudiantes La Plata
International debut: June 1996, v Poland
Caps: 55
Goals: 9
World Cups: France 1998, Japan-Korea 2002
Palmares:

• Argentinian Second Level League (95)
  
• Italian Cup (99, 00, 06)
  
• UEFA Cup (99)
  
• European Supercup (99)
  
• Italian Serie A (00)
  
• Italian Supercup (00, 05)
  
• English League (03)
  
• Italian Cup (05)
  

Alessandro Del Piero is an Italian football player. He is currently the captain of Juventus and a member of the Italian national side. He was a part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup winning side.
Usually, Del Piero plays as a support-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers (in the hole), known in Italy as the "Trequartista" position. He is not the tallest of forwards, but is certainly one of the most creative forwards in the world, rather than being a "goal poacher".
Del Piero is renowned for his deadly finishing, and the ease in which he dribbles past defenders. He is an expert in dead-ball situations as he is among the world's best in taking freekicks and penalty kicks. Particularly famous for inside-curling, dipping shot that he takes in the area that is up to 10 yards outside the penalty box, which is known as "La Zona Del Piero" meaning "The Del Piero Zone".

Club

Del Piero was spotted playing for hometown San Vendemiano — he left home at the age of 16 to start his professional career in 1991 with Padova of Italian Serie B. In 1993, he transferred to Juventus, and has been there ever since. Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia in September 1993, scored his first goal in his next game against Reggina after appearing as a substitute, and then grabbed a hat-trick against Parma on his first start. Juventus claimed their first Scudetto in eight years in his first season and success continued to follow.
With the Turin club, he won the Serie A championship five times (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2003), the Champions League (1996), and the Intercontinental Cup (1996). His best season was in 1997-98, when he scored 21 goals in Serie A and finished top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 10 goals, which included a peach of a freekick against Monaco in the semi finals. Del Piero struggled for form at the beginning of the 1998-99 season, whilst doping allegations were aimed at Juventus (they were later found innocent). In October he picked up a serious knee injury in the 2-2 draw with Udinese. This kept him out of action for the remainder of the season. Juventus struggled without him and limped home to a lowly 6th place in Serie A. It is claimed by some that Del Piero has never fully recovered from this injury, and therefore never quite fulfilled the potential he had shown at a very young age.



His nickname is Pinturicchio, in reference to a joke by Gianni Agnelli when he compared the emerging Del Piero to Roberto Baggio in a parallel between the student Pinturicchio from Perugia and the teacher Caravaggio.
One of Del Piero's greatest strengths as a footballer is his versatility, which allows him to play in a variety of attacking positions. While he started his club career playing as a full-fledged striker, he settled into a more deeper role as a support-striker. Because of his great technical ability, accurate passing skills and impressive vision, he has also been positioned as a playmaker; in the central slot behind the forwards. In any zone surrounding the penalty area, his prowess as a creator of goals came to the fore. Under Marcello Lippi's reign as Juventus coach, Del Piero's creative abilities were on display whatever the coach's formation was. Del Piero showed his class in the lethal "trident-attack" formation along with veterans Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli. After that, he took a leading role in a creative combination with Zinedine Zidane behind Filippo Inzaghi. As Juve's playing style changed in Lippi's second stint with Juventus starting 2001, Del Piero was still vital as his partnerships with Pavel Nedved in midfield and David Trezeguet upfront has contributed enormously to Juve's continued success in Italy and Europe.

National

Despite huge success on the club level, Del Piero has somewhat disappointed playing for the Italian national team, although he is currently the national teams all-time 4th topscorer.
Coming into the 1998 FIFA World Cup with huge expectations, he competed with fan favorite Roberto Baggio for a spot, and had some troubles because of a recent injury he picked up during the Champions' League final whilst playing for Juventus. Two years later Del Piero became one of the culprits for Italy's last minute loss in Euro 2000 final, missing 2 chances, which might have killed France off.
However, he returned to the international scene in the 2002 FIFA World Cup on the back of a very impressive season in Serie A, in which he led Juventus to the title.
He scored a goal against Mexico with his first touch of the game seconds within coming on as a substitute to send Italy through to the second round, but they would get no further.
After Euro 2004, Del Piero faced another tough moment after Juventus replaced their Coach Marcello Lippi with Fabio Capello. Capello was not convinced of Del Piero's abilities and favoured the new signing from Ajax, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, the Juve captain fought back and scored 14 goals in Serie A that season, helping Juventus to their 28th Scudetto. Most memorable perhaps was his bicycle-kick assist against AC Milan which sealed the Scudetto for Juventus.
Although a strong fan favourite, the Juventus captain found himself starting on the bench for most of Italy’s matches in the World Cup 2006. During all of the group stage matches, Del Piero started on the bench, coming on twice; first as a substitute late in game in the first match with Ghana. Then in the following match he came on as a substitute at the 54th minute in the match against the U.S.A.
Del Piero was more active for Italy during the knockout stages; starting in the last 16 clash with Australia. On July 4, 2006 while facing host nation Germany in the semifinals of the competition, Del Piero, after coming on as a substitute towards the end of the game, scored Italy's second goal as a ball found him all alone with just the German keeper, Jens Lehmann, in front of him. Del Piero proceeded to score the goal with a chip past Lehmann. This goal was chosen as one of the best of the tournament.
Del Piero scored the fourth penalty kick in the finals of World Cup 2006, helping Italy to win the World Championship for the 4th time in its history.




Recent times

Experts agree that Del Piero is back to his best in the 2005-2006 season having scored 20 goals in all competitions. Most memorable goal in this season has been the freekick which won the match vs bitter rivals Internazionale. However, his role at Juventus has changed this season as coach Capello prefers using him as a substitute for an immediate impact, as Capello puts it. In 2006 Del Piero equalled José Altafini's Serie A record of 6 goals as a substitute after scoring in the final minute of Juventus's final game of the 2005-2006 season. Del Piero himself is ambivalent about his ability to get goals off the bench, stating that "I want people to know me for more than being able to come off the bench to change a game", and in late March of 2006 revealed his openness to finishing his career with a club outside of Italy if it would guarantee him a place as a starting forward.
On January 10, 2006 Del Piero became the all time leading goalscorer for Juventus when he scored three times in a Coppa Italia match against Fiorentina and took his total goals for the club to 185. The previous record holder was Giampiero Boniperti, who scored 182 goals for the club.
As of May 2006, Del Piero has 194 goals for Juventus in official matches and has scored the last goal for Juventus in their latest Scudetto for the 05/06 Season.

Trivia

• He has a brother, called Stefano, who is nine years older and briefly played football for Sampdoria before injury struck him. Alessandro's mother, Bruna, is a housekeeper and his father, Gino, who was an electrician, passed away in February, 2001.
  
• As a small child Alex lived at a rural property with his family and played at the backyard. His two friends, Nelso and Pierpaolo used to play with him. The three of them wanted to become footballers, but only Del Piero managed to do so.
  
• Del Piero recalled that when he was growing up there was never any money for travelling abroad and that he wanted to be a lorry driver so he could see places. As a professional football player he was eventually able to travel all around the world.
  
• He once said that he used to play as a goalkeeper because he could play a lot more football that way. His mother thought it would be better for him if he played as a goalkeeper, since he wouldn't sweat and the possibility of him getting injured was smaller. But one day, Stefano told their mother:
  

  Don't you see that Alex is good in the attack?

  
  
• Sonia Amoruso is Del Piero's wife. Alex and Sonia have been together since 1999 and eventually married in 2005.
  
• Del Piero was once the world's best paid player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue.
  
• Del Piero is into other sports and also into music. He has even released some music CDs himself.
  
• Del Piero is regarded also for his character off and on the pitch. He has won several awards such as the 'Coppa d'Argento' Premio Speciale Gentleman , the San Siro Gentleman Serie A TIM and the Associazione Soomaaliya Special Award for Fairness which is assigned to the persons who with their silence have not been arrogant, aggressive or violent.
  
• Del Piero is known for his sense of humour. He once joked that if Lippi doesn't convoke him to the World Cup in Germany, he'll run him over with his car and sink his damn boat.
  
• Pelé named Del Piero in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. He was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll.
  
• Del Piero was a 2006 Winter Olympics Torchbearer in Turin.
  
• He is considered to have a strong bond with the fans;
  

  I'm proud to be a Juventino, to be a "bandiera", like you define me to be often, in reality I'm just a small part of a big black & white "bandiera" (flag) that grows with the years and if you look closely your name is part of it... To continue making this "bandiera" grow we need everybody: let's stay united.

  
  
• Del Piero is a huge Oasis fan and has a good relationship with Noel Gallagher. In fact, Del Piero claimed Gallagher was Italy's lucky mascot in their 2006 World Cup success and invited him to the final and the team hotel after victory.
  
• He appeared in a Rolling Stones Concert in Milan in 2006 together with Marco Materazzi, following Italy's World Cup victory.
  
• The famous NBA player Steve Nash stated that he is a Del Piero fan himself.
  

Quotes

Diego Armando Maradona: Talking about the best 100 world footballers ever he says:

Here he is, he is different from Zidane, he likes to play, he feels it in his soul; between he and the French (Zinedine Zidane), I stay with him.

Angelo Di Livio:

I've met Ale at the Primavera. And he was already a phenomenon. He was so brave that we forced the coach to make him debut at the main team. He has those abilities that only great stars have. And everyone, as soon as they saw him, said 'This one will surely make it'.

Carlo Ancelotti:

He is a world-class player who needs no introductions.

Mauro Camoranesi:

He is an exceptional person and really doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone. Del Piero is a wonderful man and player.

Adrian Mutu:

Alex is an example for all of us. He works hard in training without ever speaking out.

Gianluca Zambrotta:

It’s still surprising to me that Alessandro Del Piero has gone through his career without winning this trophy (the Ballon d'Or).

Marcello Lippi:

Del Piero is a champion with extraordinary technical ability and wonderful characteristics. When he is selected he never disappoints. He is an example to us all." "He has great skills and intuitions that few other players have.

Fabio Capello:

I believe in champions and Alex is a champion. Del Piero is a player of very high quality and deserves his record. Sometimes I feel embarrassed at putting him on the bench.

Fabrizio Ravanelli:

Del Piero is able to do certain things, that could seem extraordinary, but he does them like they were simple

Giuseppe Taglialatela: The former Napoli keeper recalls a goal conceded from Del Piero:

Let’s say he scored a goal a la Baggio, a la Maradona. He took the ball in midfield, dribbled 3-4 teammates of mine. He’s good, what can I say?

Alessio Tacchinardi:

He (Del Piero) always comes to the training field with a smile for everyone, a comforting word for everyone. This is his greatness: humbleness... he’s a golden person.

Frankie Dettori:

Del Piero is a true genius

Mark Hughes:

Even though Del Piero may be well into his 30s now, he remains one of the great players.

PROFILE:

Full name: Alessandro Del Piero
DOB: November 9, 1974
Birthplace: Conegliano, Italy
Nationality: Italian
EU passport: Yes
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 73 kg
Club: Juventus FC
Position: Forward [L, C]
Number: 10
Contract Expires: June 2008
Previous Clubs: Padova > Juventus
International debut: March 1995, v Estonia
Caps: 77
Goals: 26
World Cups: France 1998, Japan-Korea 2002, Germany 2006
Palmares:

• FIFA World Cup (06)
  
• UEFA Champions League (96)
  
• Intercontinental Cup (96)
  
• European Supercup (96)
  
• Italian Cup (95)
  
• Italian Serie A (95, 97, 98, 02, 03)
  
• Italian Supercup (95, 97, 02, 03)
  
• U-21 European Footballer of the Year (96)
  
• Intercontinental Cup MVP (96)
  
• UCL Top Scorer (97, 98)