10. Lasting Legacy
They’ve yet to kick a ball in the A-League so it would be hubris to rate their legacy potential - but what the hell. Just the talk of luring all three former internationals Down Under has put the domestic comp on the world stage. For that reason alone it’s points all round. Newcastle is on a winner with Heskey but we don’t see his influence extending much beyond the Hunter. And while Ballack is a great leader on the park there’s not enough information about any potential deal to judge his long-term impact. It’s hard to go past Del Piero for this one. Let’s face it a whole NATO unit couldn’t tame our football-hating media yet somehow Ale has charmed the headlines off the other codes. Even the Sydney Morning Herald went all Gazetta on us. He’s doused simmering tensions between Australia and Italy over ‘that’ penalty and if he can manage to reunite old and new football, or even broker a temporary ceasefire, his next assignment should be special envoy to the Middle East.
Ratings: ADP 10, Heskey 6, Ballack 6

Final score: ADP 88, Ballack 79, Heskey 74.

We declare Alessandro Del Piero the KING OF THE A-LEAGUE MARQUEES!