Alessandro Del Piero was Wednesday appointed captain of Australian club Sydney FC for the upcoming season, with the Italian superstar calling it a great honour.
The former Juventus great, the biggest signing in Australia's domestic league history, has played a major role in increasing attendances, television audiences and media interest in the domestic A-League and has signed on for a second season.
As a reward, he will captain Sydney during the 2013/14 season that gets under way in October, replacing Terry McFlynn.
"This is a great honour for me to be given the captaincy of one of Australia and Asia's biggest clubs," Del Piero said.
"It's a very proud moment for me and I will give everything to help the club win the A-League Championship this season."
Del Piero is no stranger to being skipper, having captained Italian giants Juventus for 11 years.
He has also skippered the national side.
"Alessandro brings a wealth of experience to this role having successfully captained one of the world's leading football clubs for more than decade," said Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow.
"Alessandro is a natural leader both on and off the pitch and he is recognised the world over as one of the great captains of the modern era."
The 38-year-old spent 19 years at Juventus. He joined Sydney last year, scoring 14 goals.
Source: AFP