Alessandro Del Piero hugs Sydney FC teammate Peter Triantis after Triantis scored against Brisbane Roar last season. Picture: Mark Evans Source: DailyTelegraph
WHEN Sydney FC board the plane for Italy today, rising star Peter Triantis will be pinching himself.
This time last year he was working as a barista and playing in the NSW Premier League for Sydney Olympic.
Tomorrow the 21-year-old midfielder and his teammates will be greeted by Alessandro Del Piero in Venice ahead of their six-game tour of Italy.
"If you told me this was about to happen 12 months ago I would never have believed it," Triantis said.
"Going from playing on parks with no grass and training with no nets to where we are now is amazing. Everybody is just buzzing about the trip.
"I've got to pinch myself."
To be the first A-League team to tour Europe will be a thrill of a lifetime for Triantis and Sydney's youngsters but to be on a tour led by a living god in Italy will add a dimension to the trip money can't buy.
Triantis shared a magic moment with Del Piero when he heeded advice from the World Cup winner in the middle of a game against Brisbane Roar in February and within minutes had scored the winner.
Perhaps not surprisingly, he now has a framed picture of his celebration with the Italian star hanging at home.
"It was a personal highlight for me," Triantis said. "He'll go down as one of the greatest players of all time. He's shown the boys the level of professionalism you need to succeed."He has the trophies and medals but he is still the most humble person you would ever meet, which is another good lesson for the boys."
Organised by Del Piero's management, the fixtures will be against a range of teams from Serie A, Serie B and Serie C, including his first professional team, Padova.
Sydney FC coach Frank Farina knows what to expect when travelling and playing in Italy with a man who is adored and respected in equal amounts."It will be chaos, but a nice chaos," he said. "It's going to be full-on in terms of people and media crews around.
"He draws all of that attention and he can handle it, which is even better. He's been not only a wonderful asset on the field but what he's brought to the table outside of that, including this tour, I don't think there has ever been a player in the A-League with that sort of impact."
Source: DailyTelegraph
Meanwhile, Farina says he will be on the lookout for a striker to join Del Piero during the club's tour, following Joel Griffiths' return to the Chinese Super League.
"We've still got a couple of positions available and we're always looking," Farina said.
"It's an ideal opportunity for us now in Europe to maybe have a look at a few players, whether they are Aussies over there or other foreign players.
"There's nothing concrete, but in three weeks I'm sure there will be a lot of agents pushing players, or players who are out of contract who most probably will be looking at hopefully coming to Sydney."
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