Alessandro Nesta, Ufficiale OMRI (born 19 March 1976 in Rome), is an Italian professional footballer currently playing for the Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer. Considered by many as one of the best centre backs to have ever played the game, he is a four-time member of the annual UEFA Team of the Year.
Just before the 2002–03 Serie A campaign, financial woes forced Lazio to sell many of their best players. Nesta was transferred to Milan for €30.987 million (or 60 billion lire; 1 euro = 1,936.27 lire). His first two seasons with the Rossoneri were very successful as he won the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League, the Coppa Italia, European Super Cup and the Scudetto. Despite missing most of the 2006–07 season due to a shoulder injury, Nesta played a vital part in Milan's return to the 2006–07 Champions League final, where Milan defeated Liverpool 2–1. He (and Milan) also won another European SuperCup in August 2007. Nesta signed a contract extension that would keep him at Milan until 2011. Nesta went on to score his first goal for Milan since April 2006 in a 1–1 draw with Siena on 15 September 2007. He followed this up with an important goal for Milan in the 4–2 victory over Boca Juniors in the final of the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup.
Serious back injuries forced Nesta out of action for the whole 2008–09 season which raised concerns about his chances to make a comeback into active football. He fully recovered from his injuries and came on as 77th minute substitute in Milan's final away game to Fiorentina on 31 May 2009 for his first competitive appearance of the season. The following season Nesta scored his first brace for Milan in a 2–1 victory over Chievo Verona in the Serie A. He began to re-emerge as a starter for the club and was one of Milan's most consistent players throughout the entire 2009–10 season. Nesta continued his excellent partnership with fellow centerback Thiago Silva throughout the 2010–11 season, forming a formidable defence, conceding just 24 goals in 38 games during the Serie A season. Throughout the 2010–11 season, speculation indicated that Nesta would retire at the end of the season. However, he later confirmed that he wanted to play one more season at Milan before retiring and signed a contract extension on 18 May 2011, which kept him on Milan's squad until summer 2012.
Requested by Kevin from the CBox. Enjoy !
