But Nesta had two awful seasons -- I mean below average for an average Serie A defender -- for the two seasons prior to last. Some of that could have been a long injury recovery. But he was dreadful for a long while and it's only this season that I've seen him back to his abilities.
that season I think you are referring to, he had very serious back/neck issues and missed most of the season and usually looked out of sorts when he came back. In all fairness to him, he was prematurely brought back 'cause Milan were thin at the back and needed him ... under diff circumstances, he would have missed that entire year.
His only other lackluster season was when Leo was Milan's coach but let's face it - even L. Lohan has a better defense for her coochie than Leo has ever managed to set up for his teams
this being said, this "best ever" talk always falls short on wisdom as different players face different circumstances during their careers and there is no even half-decent way of balancing those out to make a proper comparison.