Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero has agreed a two-year contract extension with the Italian giants.
Skipper signs deal until 2010
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero has agreed a two-year contract extension with the Italian giants.
The veteran striker's deal was due to expire at the end of this season but he will now stay until 2010, perhaps ending his career at the club.
The announcement comes after protracted negotiations in which Juve only offered Del Piero, who will be 33 next month, a one year extension when he wanted two.
Negotiations became so delicate that at one stage the club's sporting director Alessio Secco said they risked losing their all-time top scorer.
But, announcing a happy resolution to the negotiations on Tuesday, chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc told the club's website: "Today we have achieved an important result for the future of Juventus.
Ambition
"The agreement with Del Piero confirms our ambition and our faith in the absolute value of a player who will continue to put his experience at the service of the team and millions of fans."
After joining from Padova, Del Piero made his Serie A debut with Juve aged 18 in 1993 and has since won five Italian titles and the UEFA Champions League with the club.
He stuck with the club when they were relegated to Serie B last year because of the match-fixing scandal and helped the team bounce straight back to the top flight.
Key
Welcoming the contract extension, Del Piero said: "Today I made a key choice for my career and my life.
"Juventus have given me a lot and I want to continue to win here".
While his future is now looking secure in domestic football, Del Piero's international position seems less rosy.
Despite being a member of Italy's World Cup-winning squad and scoring 27 international goals, he was dropped by Azzurri coach Roberto Donadoni after a lacklustre performance in the goalless Euro 2008 qualifying draw against France last month.
