Suddenly, all this opportunity has fallen into Sydney FC's lap. Del Piero's brother, Stefano, is his agent, and was contacted by the club within hours of Nicky Carle being released to go to the United Arab Emirates on loan. A marquee slot has suddenly opened up, and there is no better player on the market to fill it. Hopefully, it's meant to be.

Granted, del Piero is 37. But he made 23 appearances in the Serie A last season, albeit many as a pinch-hitter off the bench. His farewell appearance for his beloved 'bianconeri' came in the Coppa Italia final in late May. Since then, he's been sweating hard with a personal trainer as he prepares for the next, final, chapter of his illustrious career. There's too much pride, too much character, too much professionalism, in his DNA for him to let himself down. Whoever gets him - and the likes of Los Angeles Galaxy, Boca Juniors, Sion as well as clubs in China, Brazil, Japan, Spain and the UAE have all been on the phone - will get a player who still has the drive, and the ability, to make a difference. In the A-League, that would be a massive difference.

Del Piero glides through games with deceptive ease. For much of his career he's played as a support striker off a target man. But he is equally adept in the space between the front line and the midfield, known by the Italians as a 'trequartista'. He scores goals, and he creates them. Diego Maradona was once asked about del Piero's attributes, and replied: "He's different to Zinedine Zidane. He likes to play, he feels it in his soul. Between him and the Frenchman, I choose him."

Let's hope Sydney FC can get him. Over the last 12 months, club owners have gone off the boil on marquee players, who can be paid outside the salary cap. Between them, they've lost too much money. Sydney FC have lost more - around $5 million per season - than most. But this is different. This is worth it. No matter how much it costs. For the first time, the Sky Blues could realistically expect to sell-out Allianz Stadium. Dwight Yorke and Juninho couldn't do that. Del Piero, the drawcard, is on another level again.

Traktovenko, who once owned Zenit St Petersburg, is a football person. He won't need convincing about the merits of del Piero. He might need his arm twisted about the price. But if timing is everything in life, then the stars have suddenly aligned for Sydney FC's Russian owner to make the most important signing in A-League history happen. Please.