JOIN USThe contract which lured Alessandro Del Piero to Sydney FC is the most lucrative signed in Australian sport and an investment in the future of soccer in the country, club chairman Scott Barlow said on Thursday.
The Italian World Cup winner, who was released in May after 19 years at Juventus, said in Turin on Wednesday that he was joining the A-League club in a two-year contract that Australian media reported was worth A$2 million ($2.04 million) a year.
"Last night's signing of Alessandro Del Piero is a big moment for this club and, we believe, a historic moment for football in Australia," Barlow told reporters on the pitch at the Sydney Football Stadium.
"I wouldn't like to go into the details of the contract," he added. "But this does represent the largest professional sporting contract in Australian history and the numbers that have been discussed aren't too far off the mark."
Del Piero, 37, is undoubtedly the biggest name to join an Australian club and his signing was warmly welcomed in the local media.
"He's ours!", screamed the back page of the tabloid Daily Telegraph, while inside a column penned by Socceroo and Del Piero's new team mate Brett Emerton was headlined "Our greatest day".