Del Piero to land in Sydney on Sunday

Sydney sealed the Del Piero deal last week in the biggest coup in A-League history and it was thought the Italian ace would arrive next week but, after receiving his visa clearance, he was keen to link up with his new team as soon as possible.

"It's exciting that we have an arrival date for Alessandro to arrive in Sydney to start his Sydney FC career," Sydney FC Chief Executive Tony Pignata said.

"He arrives on Sunday morning. He is eager to get here and start working with the team.

"There has been a lot of excitement surrounding his signature and we can now look forward to him joining the rest of the squad."

Del Piero last played in the Coppa Italia final on 20 May with Juventus but has been working with a personal trainer in Turin to stay in shape.

The 37-year-old will have some full three weeks to get himself in match condition before the club's 2012-2013 A-League opener at Wellington Phoenix on Saturday 6 October.

Sydney's first home game is against Newcastle Jets on Saturday 13 October before the inaugural derby against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday 20 October at Parramatta Stadium.

"It's fantastic news that he is arriving on Sunday and we look forward to integrating him into the Sydney FC team," Sydney FC coach Ian Crook said.

"He is coming out a little bit earlier than we had thought which is good and shows he's a pro and is keen to get started, which we knew was the case.

"As a coaching and medical group we'll have a chat to him and a good look at him so we can plan through that process."

While Del Piero makes the long trip to Sydney, his new team-mates will be in Mackay for its latest hit-out against Brisbane Roar on Sunday.