Topic: Achieving Goals

Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sport Italia. A technically gifted and creative supporting forward who was also a free-kick specialist, Del Piero won the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008 and received multiple nominations for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.

A prolific goal-scorer, he is currently the second highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals, behind only Silvio Piola, with 390 goals; he is also the joint ninth highest goalscorer in Serie A history, with 188 goals, alongside Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino. After beginning his career with Italian club Padova in Serie B in 1991, he moved to Juventus in 1993, where he played for 19 seasons (11 as captain), and holds the club records for most goals (290) and appearances (705). During his time at the club, he won six Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. After leaving the club in 2012, he also spent two seasons with Australian side Sydney FC; he retired in 2014, after a season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League.

Del Piero has scored in every competition in which he has participated. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In the same year, he was also voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, a list of the 50 best European players of the past 50 years. Along with six awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct, he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality as well as playing ability.

At international level, Del Piero has also represented the Italy national team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships, most notably winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He is the joint fourth highest scorer for the Italy national team, with 27 goals, alongside Roberto Baggio, and behind only Silvio Piola with 30 goals, Giuseppe Meazza with 33 goals, and Luigi Riva with 35 goals; with 91 appearances for Italy between 1995 and 2008, he is also his nation's eleventh-most capped player of all-time. In his career Del Piero scored 462 goals.

Michael Ballack

Retired award-winning German footballer, Michael Ballack is one of the top goalscorers in the history of the German national team. Known best for his dominating presence in midfield along with his powerful shot, physical strength and passing range. Making his professional debut in 1995 following his previous career as a youth at Chemnitz, which was his local team. By 1996 he had already made his debut for Germany's Under-21 side which led to his transfer to FC Kaiserslautern in 1997 where he won his first major honour within the first season, the Bundesliga. During the 1998 and 1999 season Michael had earned his first senior national cap for Germany and became a first-team regular.

By 1999 Michael was a popular well established player who was brought by Bayer Leverkusen for €4.1 million. As a crucial member of the team which finished runner up in the DFB-Pokal, Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League during the 2001-02 season. 2002 was also the year Germany lost to Brazil in the World Cup, however Michaels performance carried the team scoring consecutive game-winning goals in the quarter-final and semi-final. After a €12.9 million move to FC Bayern Munich where he scored fifty eight goals between 2002 and 2006 he eventually joined Premier League club Chelsea. He helped take Chelsea to their first ever Champions League final and win the FA Cup in 2009 and 2010.

Michael has had an impressive football career to say the least and was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA’s 125 Greatest Living Players. He was named the UEFA Club Midfielder Of The Year in 2002 and won the German Footballer of the Year award three times. An international phenomenon, Michael has played alongside two FIFA World Cups and in three UEFA European Football Championships.  Michael makes for one of the best sports speakers on the circuit and can offer insights into 'behind the scenes' football. Whether it's at an award ceremony or sporting function the legendary footballer can discuss a huge range of topics from high performance and maximising success to leadership and teamwork, he is a huge inspiration in the sporting world.

Andrea Pirlo

One of the finest playmakers to have ever played football, Andrea Pirlo was a joy to watch. Known for his remarkable vision, Pirlo was a world-class footballer with a creative streak that set him out as a role model to football fans throughout the world.

Breathtaking at times, Pirlo had a unique ability to control and play a ball with the perfect balance of speed, accuracy and control. In addition to his tremendous skill in open play, Pirlo was one of the finest dead-ball specialists in world football. His ability to pick out the top corner with a dipping and curling free-kick earned him rave reviews.

His quality was recognised on numerous occasions. As an individual, he won over 40 accolades, some of which included entry into the FIFPro World XI in 2006 and the Serie A Team of the Year on four consecutive occasions.

In 2012, 2013 and 2014 he was the Serie A Player of the Year, and he was inducted into the AC Milan Hall of Fame. He was also voted in Juventus' Greatest XI of All Time in 2017. On three separate occasions, he was nominated for the biggest individual prize in football, finishing 9th, 5th and 7th in the race for the Ballon d'Or.

In 2018, he was given a Golden Foot award that recognises players who stood out for their personality and athletic achievements. He was also appointed an Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italian in Italy.

But, as is the character of Andrea Pirlo, his biggest strength on the pitch was in his ability to inspire, to lead and to work for the greater good of the team. Former international coach, Marcello Lippi said of him: "Pirlo is a silent leader. He speaks with his feet". He was affectionately known by fans around the world as "the Architect", "The Maestro", "Mozart" and "the Professor".

Pirlo won Serie A twice, the Champions League twice and both Italian domestic cups once each at his time with AC Milan, becoming a club legend in the process. Pirlo then moved to Juventus, where he once again played a pivotal role in the club's success, winning four successive league titles , which included two league and cup doubles.

At international level, Pirlo was instrumental as Italy landed football's grandest prize, the FIFA World Cup in 2006. He would also help Italy to an Olympic Bronze medal in 2004 and a runner up spot in the 2012 European Championships.

Since hanging up his boots after a successful two-year stint in the MLS with New York City, Pirlo has been a popular presence in the media and at events all over the world. Whether to entertain or inspire corporate audiences or feature as special guest at awards and events - Andrea Pirlo offers a touch of magic.

Kaká

Kaka is an internationally renowned former Brazilian footballer who has played for some of the world’s most successful teams including Milan and Real Madrid. An incredibly talented and determined attacking midfielder, Kaka has an immensely long list of prestigious awards which are a testament to his abundance of knowledge within teamwork, leadership and achieving peak performance.

Kickstarting his career as part of a local youth team, he immediately captured the attention of his hometown team Sao Paulo, who signed him to join the youth academy at the age of eight. He signed for their youth squad Copa de Juvenil glory at the age of 15 and eventually made his senior debut in 2001. Throughout the 27 appearances he made for the team in his first season, he managed to score a staggering 12 goals, an effort in which helped them to win their first and only Torneio Rio-Sau Paulo Championship.

Throughout his impressive career, Kaka managed to make over 460 appearances across four teams and also scored nearing 150 goals. He also boasts 92 caps and 29 goals for the Brazillian national team in whom he played for, for 14 years. A pivotal player in Milan’s victory at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008, he scored the team’s third goal in a 4-2 victory against Boca Juniors in which crowned them World Champions.

With some of his most recent successes including playing in the MLS All-Star Game in three consecutive seasons and helping to win the 2012 Supercopa de Espana with Real Madrid, it’s evident that Kaka has a valuable skillset in which he has the ability to relate to both corporate and school organisations as well as sporting clubs as an after dinner speaker.

Awarded World Soccer Player of The Year, the FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball and the FIFA World Cup Top Assist Provider amongst other awards including being inducted into the AC Milan and Maracana Hall of Fame, Kaka has established himself as one of the most prominent names in international football. A hilarious and charismatic character, he can create an unforgettable atmosphere at any event, conference and function.

Garry Kasparov

Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the Soviet Union in 1963, Garry Kasparov became the under-18 chess champion of the USSR at the age of 12 and the world under-20 champion at 17. He came to international fame at the age of 22 as the youngest world chess champion in history in 1985. He defended his title five times, including a legendary series of matches against arch-rival Anatoly Karpov. Kasparov broke Bobby Fischer’s rating record in 1990 and his own peak rating record remained unbroken until 2013. His famous matches against the IBM super-computer Deep Blue in 1996-97 were key to bringing artificial intelligence, and chess, into the mainstream.

Kasparov’s outspoken nature did not endear him to the Soviet authorities, giving him an early taste of opposition politics. He became one of the first prominent Soviets to call for democratic and market reforms and was an early supporter of Boris Yeltsin’s push to break up the Soviet Union. In 1990, he and his family escaped ethnic violence in his native Baku as the USSR collapsed. His refusal that year to play the World Championship under the Soviet flag caused an international sensation. In 2005, Kasparov, in his 20th year as the world’s top-ranked player, abruptly retired from competitive chess to join the vanguard of the Russian pro-democracy movement. He founded the United Civil Front and organized the Marches of Dissent to protest the repressive policies of Vladimir Putin. In 2012, Kasparov was named chairman of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation, succeeding Vaclav Havel. Facing imminent arrest during Putin’s crackdown, Kasparov moved from Moscow to New York City in 2013.

The US-based Kasparov Chess Foundation non-profit promotes the teaching of chess in education systems around the world. Its program already in use in schools across the United States, KCF also has centers in Brussels, Johannesburg, Singapore, and Mexico City. Garry and his wife Daria travel frequently to promote the proven benefits of chess in education and have toured Africa extensively.

Kasparov has been a contributing editor to the Wall Street Journal since 1991 and is a regular commentator on politics and human rights. He speaks frequently to business and political audiences around the world on innovation, strategy, individual freedom, and achieving peak mental performance. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Oxford-Martin School with a focus on human-machine collaboration. Kasparov’s book How Life Imitates Chess on decision-making is available in over 20 languages. He is the author of two acclaimed series of chess books, My Great Predecessors and Modern Chess.

Kasparov’s new book, Winter Is Coming: Why Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped, was released by PublicAffairs in October 2015. He describes the book as a mix of “one part history of the rise and fall of Russian democracy and the West’s role in both, from Gorbachev’s retreat from Eastern Europe to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014; one part current events with an analysis of the current security crisis and how and why the countries of the free world must unite to fight back against thugs and dictators; and one part personal memoir of my life as a citizen, witness, and activist in the USSR, democratic Russia, and Putin’s Russia.”