His name is woven in the tapestry of European football. His collection of honours includes scoring the Golden Goal winner that swept France to Euro glory in 2000, a World Cup title in 1998 and two scudetti for Juventus for whom he scored 171 goals. No wonder David Trezeguet was afforded a hero’s welcome when he visited our country last month as guest of the Juve Club Vero Amore Malta. Kevin Azzopardi met the former France striker…

The son of a former Argentine footballer, David Trezeguet spent the early years of his career with Club Atletico Platense but it was in Europe where he rose to stardom, going on to achieve great success with Juventus and the French national team.

Over the coming weeks, Trezeguet is sure to attract a lot of attention as France bid to emulate their 2000 feat by winning the European Championship on home soil.

Trezeguet’s Golden Goal in the 2-1 victory against Italy in the Euro 2000 final will be replayed time and again as it is one of the most defining moments in the history of the European Championship.

“For me, along with the World Cup, this European Championship (2000) was very important because, firstly, we became the first nation to do the double by winning the two major tournaments (back to back),” Trezeguet reminisced.

 “Secondly, because I had the fortune of scoring a very important goal for France in that final and, with the passing of time, that goal has achieved tremendous notoriety. Because of this, that was a unique and unforgettable experience in my career.”

Euro 2016 will be the first to feature 24 nations.

When former UEFA president Michel Platini unfurled his blueprint for an expanded European Championship, it met with a lukewarm reaction but the feeling is much more positive now after a host of emerging nations like Wales, Iceland, Hungary, N. Ireland and Albania shook the traditional order to qualify for the finals.

Trezeguet is upbeat. “I hope it will be a very competitive tournament which is what everyone expects really,” he said.

“I believe that there are some nations that have a very interesting history, others that are making significant progress and some that are determined to demonstrate their qualities, so, all in all, it will be a beautiful tournament to participate in and also to watch.

“Everything is ready now, we are there. So we just need to wait for these great teams and great players to produce a memorable event.”

France are approaching the tournament with an air of cautious optimism as they boast a talented squad, a blend of experience and youth as the likes of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, Patrice Evra and Olivier Giroud are joined by precocious talents like Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Anthony Martial.

Trezeguet has backed Les Bleus, who are in Group A with Romania, Albania and Switzerland, to seize their chance on home soil.

“France are my favourites because the team tends to rise to the occasion when the country organises an event of this magnitude,” Trezeguet, who scored 34 goals in 71 appearances for his country, said.

David Trezeguet scores the Golden Goal in the Euro 2000 final against Italy.David Trezeguet scores the Golden Goal in the Euro 2000 final against Italy.

“France has won almost every time it has hosted a big tournament, Euro 84, the World Cup in 1998 and now hopefully Euro 2016.

“Furthermore, France have a strong and interesting squad, both on an individual and competitive level, and this enhances the team’s value.

“Add to this the fact that the tournament is being played in France as all our fans will get behind the team. It will be very interesting for France if they can win this tournament.”

Germany, Spain and Italy will pose the biggest threat to France’s quest for glory according to their former stalwart.

“With regards to the main challengers, nations like Germany, Spain, Italy and the same France have an obligation to play a leading role. And when you have this obligation, the objective is very precise, which is to win,” he said.

Club career

Trezeguet is as much famed for his achievements as a member of France’s golden generation as for his goal-laden stint with Juventus whom he joined in 2000.

Having forged a reputation as one of the most exciting strikers with French club Monaco, Trezeguet, then aged 22, had several clubs queuing for his signature but insisted that he didn’t even entertain offers from other suitors once Juventus made their interest known.

“Juventus represented an important choice in my career,” Trezeguet, 38, recalled.

“After spending five years with Monaco, I felt the need to find a club of a higher level and Juventus gave me this possibility.

“Looking back on the paths I have followed in my life and my football career, it turned out to be a very important move as I stayed with Juventus for 10 years and I’m still attached to this club which has given me everything, both on a professional and human level.

“Thus, I think Juventus was the most important experience for me, footballing-wise.”

David Trezeguet with former Juve team-mate Alessandro Del Piero.David Trezeguet with former Juve team-mate Alessandro Del Piero.

His attachment to Juventus is so strong that, six years on from his last appearance in the club’s famous black-and-white-striped shirt, Trezeguet has never paused to reflect on what might have been had he chosen to sign for another club.

“I’ve never bothered to think about this because, honestly, I had made up mind to sign for Juventus and that was that,” he reflected.

Trezeguet singled out his first Serie A title with Juventus in 2001/02 and the World Cup-Euro double achieved with France in 1998 and 2000 as the highlights of his career.

“With Juventus, it was certainly my first scudetto as it had been missing for a very long time,” Trezeguet said.

“It was in 2001-02 together with (Marcello) Lippi. It was a positive experience also because we secured the title on the last day of the season by overhauling our historic rivals Inter… we had a great championship.

“Additionally, I ended the season as top scorer of the Serie A (he finished level with Dario Hubner on 24 goals) and that certainly made it a memorable experience for me.

“Certainly, the most important was the World Cup of 1998 because for a top-level player, winning this title is the ultimate objective.”

For the millions of Juventus fans worldwide, Trezeguet is an icon not only because of his scoring exploits but also because of the loyalty he showed towards the club when deciding to stick with the Old Lady in the dark period when the club was demoted to the Serie B in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.

Trezeguet said his sense of gratitude and duty towards a club that had given him so much made his decision quite straightforward.

“No, for me it was not a difficult choice because I decided to stay with Juventus knowing that, from a sporting perspective, it was certainly a very delicate year because the club were not used to playing a championship in Serie B,” he said.

“I felt it was my duty to remain with the club to give something back to Juventus who had given me a lot in the years I had been with them. 

“Therefore, I felt ready to compete, together with my team-mates, in this Serie B league which was nevertheless a delicate and difficult championship, but luckily for us and thanks to our work, we managed to make a quick return to the Serie A.”

Trezeguet was in the Juventus team that narrowly missed out on winning the Champions League after going down to Milan on penalties (he missed the first spot-kick) in the 2002/03 final, played at Old Trafford.

Last year, it was also a case of so near yet so far for Massimiliano Allegri’s side as they reached the final only to lose to Barcelona while, this season, they were knocked out by Bayern Munich after extra-time in the Last 16.

…at the Juve Club Vero Amore premises in Birkirkara.…at the Juve Club Vero Amore premises in Birkirkara.

The former France forward believes that Juventus are on the right track but was keen to stress that they can only compete with the European heavyweights on a regular basis if the level of the Serie A improves.

“I think Juventus have a very interesting squad, a squad that has made history, winning a fifth scudetto in a row,” Trezeguet said.

“This means that the work the lads are putting in together with the club’s administration is paying off.

“I hope that the Italian championship can grow further and raise its level as this is something that doesn’t help us because we know well that Juventus are a great team but the Serie A is not as strong as it used to be in the nineties and this is not beneficial for the progress of our team.

“Juventus need the other big clubs to step up their challenge immediately in order to improve this level and make this championship stronger and more entertaining.

“Automatically, this would help to raise the standard Juventus are perhaps still lacking to attain important targets which the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and the same Bayern Munich achieve more frequently.”

Prolific strikers in Trezeguet’s mould are a dying breed and Juventus have not found a like-for-like replacement for the Frenchman. Their top scorer last season was Paulo Dybala, a playmaker, with 19 goals but Trezeguet said the responsibilities of strikers are manifold as tactical trends have changed.

“Times have changed,” Trezeguet observed.

“Nowadays, the central striker is less in vogue than during my playing days. Juventus have two great strikers, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza… they are players who, physically, give an extra edge, move a lot and make a very important contribution to the team but this massive effort they make penalises them on a personal level because maybe they don’t manage to score many goals.

“We may or may not agree on the work they are expected to do but nonetheless Juventus continue to move forward and these players are part of this growth.

“This shows that they are important players in this group and central to what Allegri wants from the team.

“I hope that, for next season, these players can deliver a bigger contribution in terms of goals because this is important.”

Almost 18 months have passed since Trezeguet’s swansong but his return to Juventus in an ambassadorial role made his decision to retire easy.

“I quit almost 18 months ago but it wasn’t really a difficult choice because I had been preparing for this decision for a long time,” he reflected.

“For me, it was important to start exploring other aspects and certainly the call I received from Andrea Agnelli to return to Juventus was an important moment.

“At present, we are working on a project together with other former players who are part of the Juventus history… the legends, and also other developments we hope to pursue further in the near future.

“I’ve also started working for UEFA, which for me was also a matter of pride, especially on the organisation at the upcoming Euro 2016 in France.

“All these things are very interesting and important for me because I’ve decided to focus more on another aspect, more as an administrator. This is of great interest for me there are some intriguing changes within football and it’s because of this that, together with other former champions, we are working along these lines and we hope the situation gets better which is our ultimate objective.”

Trezeguet was not surprised with the rousing reception he received from the local fans when he visited Malta together with Luciano Moggi, the former director general of Juventus, last month. The visit was organised by the Juve Club Vero Amore, headed by Joseph Fenech.

“Yes, I was given a nice reception, it was important for me,” Trezeguet said.

“I know the rapport between Malta and the Juventus community, as well as the admiration and esteem the Maltese fans have for the team and the club.

“Therefore I was not surprised with the welcome I received but returning to Malta was a pleasant experience for me.” 

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