Full name: Alessandro Nesta
Date of birth: 19 March 1976 (age 36)
Place of birth: Rome, Italy
Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Centre back
Alessandro Nesta, (born March 19, 1976 in Rome), is an Italian World Cup-winning professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Milan. 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.
Early life
Nesta was raised in the Cinecittà area of Rome. He attended the Margherita Bosco primary school where he first started playing football. His older brother, Fernando, was advised to play a sport because of a back problem and enrolled at the local football club. Alessandro threw a tantrum until his father gave in and enrolled him as well, thus marking the beginning of his career.
Club career
Lazio
Nesta's talent was first discovered by Francesco Rocca, then a scout for Roma, but Nesta's father, a Lazio fan, turned down the offer. In 1985, he joined Lazio's youth academy, where he rose through the ranks playing in various positions, including striker and midfielder, before settling in defence. His international career first showed signs of growth when he played for Italy's under-15 and under-16 sides. He was promoted to Lazio's senior squad in 1993, and first came to the attention of fans for being involved in a training ground accident that broke teammate Paul Gascoigne's leg.
He assumed the team captaincy in 1997, and helped Lazio win the 1998 Coppa Italia after beating Milan in the final, in which he scored the winning goal. This was followed by a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and European Super Cup in 1999, and a rare Scudetto and Coppa Italia double in the 1999–00 season, in addition to two Italian Super Cups.
Milan
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 approximately €39 million paid over three years, after being valued at over £50 million by Boudi just a year earlier. 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 will 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 remerge 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 will keep him on Milan's squad until Summer 2012. On Tuesday the 5th of March, Nesta was linked with a free summer transfer to Juventus.
International career
Alessandro Nesta began his career for Italy was a member of the Under-21 squad that won the 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. A few months later he was named to Italy's Euro 96 squad in England but did not come off the bench as Italy were eliminated in the group stage by eventual finalists Germany and the Czech Republic. He earned his first cap for the Azzurri in a qualifier for the 1998 FIFA World Cup against Moldova on October 5, 1996 and eventually made seven appearances in the qualifying campaign. At the final tournament, Nesta played in all three group games but made no further appearances due to injury. Two years later, Nesta featured at UEFA Euro 2000 partnering Paolo Maldini and Fabio Cannavaro in defense throughout most of the tournament as Italy finished as runner-ups.
Following Euro 2000, Nesta appeared regularly for the Azzuri as a first choice center back under Giovanni Trappatoni. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Nesta partnered Fabio Cannavaro in central defense but once again injury kept him out of the second round defeat to Korea. Italy's disappointment continued at UEFA Euro 2004 as they were eliminated in the first round by Denmark and Sweden but Nesta managed to stay injury free and played for a full 90 minutes in all three group games. Following two successive disappointments, newly appointed manager Marcello Lippi kept Nesta in the starting lineup as Italy topped their qualification group en route to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, the final tournament turned out to be a disappointment as injury in the final group game against the Czech Republic put him on the sidelines as Italy went on to win the trophy. After the World Cup, Nesta made one appearance in the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Georgia but continuous injuries forced him to retire from the international team. Prior to the final tournament, Nesta declined Roberto Donadoni's invitation to return to the national team. Two years later, he similarly turned down an invitation from Marcello Lippi prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Personal
On 7 May 2007, Nesta married his fiancée, Gabriela Pagnozzi, in a civil ceremony in Milan; the religious ceremony followed on May 30, 2007. Gabriela was working for Casa Italia, the Italian national team HQ, during the 1998 World Cup. Their relationship was born when she tended to him following his injury against Austria. "I can say, I got the injury and her in France then. And the injury has gone, [but] she has stayed with me." Their daughter, Sofia, was born on October 19, 2006 and on March 20, 2008 their son Tommaso was born.
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