The odyssey is over. The latest marker in the growth of Australian football has come to an end with Alessandro Del Piero announcing his time at Sydney FC is up. Undoubtedly the most accomplished player to feature in Australian football on a permanent basis, Del Piero’s two-year stint was yet another metaphor for the growth of the local game.

The Juventus icon and Italian 2006 World Cup-winner was perhaps a gamble by Sydney FC when they signed him to a multi-million dollar two-year deal in 2012. It is one thing having an impressive resume but, as evidenced by numerous headline-grabbing recruits over the years – Nicola Berti and Mario Jardel readily spring to mind – attitude and passion are sometimes the hardest qualities for star-hunger clubs to quantify. In that sense Del Piero delivered in spades. An enormous rock star welcome at Sydney Airport gave a no doubt bemused Del Piero an immediate insight into his new environment.

The Sydney Morning Herald got into the spirit with a back-page entirely in Italian printed on pink paper made famous by iconic Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport. It was yet another remarkable moment for fans who grew up scouring the depths of Australian newspapers in search of local football news.

Suddenly Sydney FC had to employ security for training sessions. All around the country there was significant extra interest, reflected in swollen crowds and media attention. Nor did the interest purely come from third generation Juve or Azzurri fans, as would have largely been the case prior to Australian football’s new dawn. And Del Piero readily responded interacting with fans at every opportunity. Significantly, such interaction is something that Serie A players are largely shielded from, yet Del Piero rarely faltered.

Del Piero, it seems, privately relished his Beckham-esque role of promoting his “passion” in football’s New World. So too, Del Piero, returned the love to his new home stating in his autobiography “Australia isn't just a place; it's a state of mind.”

Perhaps it should be little surprise that Del Piero was the right fit for such a multi-faceted role. Eschewing the A-list lifestyle, Del Piero was in many ways the polar-opposite of the modern footballer. His marriage in 2007 to a shop assistant, included just 12 guests. Del Piero is rightly eulogised by Juventus fans. He was nicknamed Il Pinturicchio by Fiat magnate and former Juventus president Gianni Agnelli, in reference to the renaissance painter of the same name. Significantly Agnelli used the name of a classic but relatively little-known artist.

Others may have hogged global headlines over the past two decades, but Del Piero’s consistency and longevity are matched by few, and he’s firmly in Serie A’s top 10 all-time goalscorers. Spending 19 years at one club, as Del Piero did with Juve is one of numerous testaments to Del Piero’s old-fashioned values.

Though now 39, Del Piero delivered on the field in the spades for Sydney FC. He scored 24 times in 48 appearances – the leading goal-scorer for the club in each of his seasons – as well as contributing numerous assists.

His first home match will long be remembered as a landmark moment for the A-League. In front a Sydney FC record 35,000 spectators, Del Piero delivered when the spotlight was on, scoring with a long-distance free-kick. Appropriately enough it was a trademark strike – a Gol alla Del Piero (Del Piero zone) – scored from outside the left side of the penalty area. There were to be numerous other moments of rare skill for inclusion on the highlights reel. While many of Sydney’s famed theatregoers didn’t return in such numbers as they did on that memorable afternoon in October 2012, the off-field effect was nevertheless significant.

Whether Sydney FC received appropriate return for their $8m investment in pure financial terms is unclear amid the management spin, but the goodwill and associated spin-offs for the club, and indeed Australian football, are inestimable. Sydney FC cracked 10,000 members for the first time and merchandise sales enjoyed a significant upswing. The timing for the Sky Blues was also noteworthy given the massive impact of Western Sydney Wanderers into the Harbour City’s sporting landscape.

Unfortunately for Del Piero and Sydney FC fans, the Italian’s tenure came during one of the club’s increasingly familiar dysfunctional periods. Over the last nine years the Sky Blues have either been pushing for the title, or struggling in mid-table. Sydney missed last season’s finals before narrowly scraping through this term, though their place was in doubt until the final minutes of the season. In some ways Del Piero’s recruitment was symbolic of Australia club football’s maturity. The A-League’s international recruitment has improved markedly as evidenced by Shinji Ono, and to a lesser extent, Emile Heskey.

So what now for Del Piero? Former Juventus team-mate Angelo Di Livio has suggested Japan as a possible destination, while it is hard to imagine that big-spending Guangzhou Evergrande will not make enquiries, dangling a reunion with World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi as an inducement.

Del Piero clearly enjoyed his time in Australia saying he will be “sempre un po' australiano” (always a little bit Australian). And he remains, somewhat curiously, an ambassador for next January’s Asian Cup. Sydney FC, meanwhile, were vague with yesterday’s farewell, opening the door to an ongoing relationship with Del Piero. The vacant coaching role at the Sky Blues will undoubtedly lead to further conjecture.

It is a shame that Sydney fans didn’t have the opportunity to farewell Del Piero in much the same they did for retiring club stalwart Terry McFlynn. Perhaps though an even more suitable swansong looms with Del Piero chalked down to line-up in August’s A-League All-Stars match against, of all teams, Juventus. One thing is certain. The bar has indeed been set high for the A-League’s next top level marquee recruit.