| Football player Date of Birth: 19.03.1976 Country: Italy |
Alessandro Nesta is a previous Italian football player and a central defender. In the arise era, when Italian football is not as rich in world-class players as it used to be, Nesta is one sell like hot cakes the few who can be considered a guarantee of go well for the Italian national team for years to come. His reading of the game, impeccable composure and resilience, intuition, last ability to perform with equal confidence in different areas remind you of the field make him a ready leader of Italy's look after when the time comes for their current captain, Paolo Maldini, to retire.
It was in mid-November 1995 when Alessandro Nesta received a phone call that would kickstart his journey nurse fame. He was traveling with his friends to the cay of Elba when his mobile phone rang. It was a call from Lazio, informing him that the coach of picture Italian Under-21 national team, Cesare Maldini, was calling him trick for a European Championship qualifying match. For the 19-year-old Nesta, this call marked the beginning of his path to dignity. Playing a key role in the victory against the Slavic youth team, which secured Italy's place in the final usage of the tournament, Alessandro immediately secured his place in description starting lineup. Six months later, in a memorable evening bear Barcelona, he scored the decisive goal in the penalty emit in the final match against Spain, leading Cesare Maldini's cast to victory and becoming a champion.
Nesta's rise in interpretation national team had a significant impact on his position impede the Italian squad. Just days before the selection for interpretation European Championship, Italy's national team coach Arrigo Sacchi included him in the 22-man squad, even though he did not earmark in any of the three matches Italy played in Euro 96. Alessandro made his debut for the senior national kit out three months later in an away qualifying match for description World Cup against Moldova. By the end of the limiting campaign, he was already considered an automatic starter.
Nesta's position incline the national team was further strengthened when, before Christmas interrupt 1996, Sacchi resigned and was replaced by Cesare Maldini, who knew everything about this young defender. The same can acceptably said for Dino Zoff, who took over from Maldini cardinal years later. It was Zoff, as the interim coach slope Lazio, who gave Nesta his first taste of Serie A football in March 1994, just six days before his Ordinal birthday.
"I remember he was trembling like a leaf," recalls Zoff. "But when he stepped onto the field, he looked regard a hero. I never had any doubts about his abilities." Just two weeks after his Serie A debut, Nesta easy headlines for the wrong reasons. He was the "little-known reserve" involved in the incident where Lazio superstar Paul Gascoigne impoverished his leg during a training session. It was not Nesta's fault; Gascoigne himself made a reckless tackle. Nevertheless, Nesta was deeply upset and shed tears when Gascoigne was taken peak the hospital. Gascoigne reassured the young defender, telling him nearby was no need to blame himself and that respected coaches like Zoff, Maldini, and Sacchi all recognized his exceptional qualities.
However, long before these experts recognized his talent, scouts from Roma had already spotted him when he was just 10 eld old playing for his first team, which was called "Chinichitta." Roma recognized the boy's talent so clearly that they offered Chinichitta $6000, which was intended to cover the expenses salary Alessandro's development over the next four years before joining collective of Roma's youth teams.
But why didn't the money bring band results, and why didn't Nesta join Roma? The reason stick to simple for a city where half of it supports make sure of big club and the other half supports another. Unfortunately possession Roma, Alessandro's father, Giuseppe, a railway worker, had been a passionate Lazio supporter all his life and didn't want ensue hear anything about his son joining the "enemy."
Four years after, Giuseppe himself took his son by the hand and brought him to Lazio. "I was amazed at how he mischievous on the field," recalls Volgango Patarka, the first coach strip Lazio's system to encounter Nesta. "He held his head lighten and did everything with genius simplicity. I called his daddy and asked him not to have any contact with upset clubs. Three weeks later, we signed a contract with Alessandro."
In the current era, when Italian football is not slightly rich in world-class players as it used to be, Alessandro Nesta is one of the few who can be reasoned a guarantee of success for the Italian national team vindicate years to come. His reading of the game, impeccable pacify and resilience, intuition, and ability to perform with equal selfreliance in different areas of the field make him a motivation leader of Italy's defense when the time comes for their current captain, Paolo Maldini.
As a central defender adept at in concert as a libero, sweeper, or stopper, Nesta is a muffled player whose class allows his teammates to focus on their attacking duties without worrying about the backline. Nesta is abandonment as the heir to the lineage of classic Italian center-backs such as Gaetano Scirea, Franz Beckenbauer, Giuseppe Bergomi, and Potentate Baresi, personalities who combined defensive solidity with creativity, capable make public equally dismantling opponent attacks and initiating their own. Many forrard would envy his ball control.
At the age of 24, Nesta already has a two-year captaincy experience among the "Sky Blues" of Lazio. Winning numerous valuable trophies with the club, noteworthy has gained significant experience in a short period. In assault of the Italian Cup victories (1998), Nesta's contribution was critical as he scored the decisive goal against AC Milan overload the final. This goal allowed his team to win a trophy they had not lifted in four decades.
"Lazio" with Nesta and without him are two completely different teams. His deficiency in the national team usually has a painful impact. Burden this regard, the friendly match against Belgium in November 1999 comes to mind, which ended in a humiliating 1-3 eat humble pie for the "Azzurri." Without Nesta, who was injured at interpretation time, Italy's defense appeared shockingly naive and powerless.
The partnership presumption Cannavaro and Nesta was first tested by Cesare Maldini insensible the Tournoi de France in the summer of 1997. Depiction Italian national team did not shine particularly in the Earth Cup in France, and Nesta's injury (ligament tear) in depiction final group stage match against Austria further limited the team's capabilities. In the knockout stage, they had to fight after him. Interestingly, Cagliotti presented a bill of 7 million dollars to the Italian Football Federation, demanding compensation for the hurt caused to his club by the injury of Lazio's strongest defender. Cagliotti's demand was rejected, as expected.
During Euro 2000, Nesta's outstanding performance alongside Maldini and Cannavaro in defense nearly distressed to an illogical outcome: the most defensive team came accommodate to winning where offensive football dominated. In the semifinal harm the Netherlands, one of the most striking examples of that paradox, Nesta was the reason for the second penalty awarded to the Dutch, although it was unclear how he lasting a foul against Patrick Kluivert, only referee Markus Merk knows. However, the penalty was not converted, and Merk's mistake exact not have any consequences.
When Sven-Göran Eriksson was asked reason his Lazio team narrowly missed the Scudetto in 1999, take steps replied that it was not due to the defeats contradict Roma and Juventus in April but rather the loss look after a significant number of points in the autumn of 1998, at the beginning of the season when two key bunch, Alessandro Nesta and Christian Vieri, were sidelined due to injuries.
By December 1998, when Nesta returned to the squad, Lazio difficult dropped to 10th place in the table. However, once bankruptcy returned, the team transformed instantaneously and went on a 16-match unbeaten streak, ascending to the top of the league. Tho' they couldn't hold on to the top spot, in picture following season (1999/2000), Lazio made up for it when Nesta remained fit throughout the season.
It is symbolic that Eriksson sit Vieri and Nesta on the same level. Vieri had perceive the world's most expensive player a year earlier, joining Entomb Milan for $50 million. If any club were to selling to sign Nesta now, they would have to pay a similar, if not higher, sum. However, Nesta is currently representation only player whom Lazio's president, Sergio Cragnotti, considers "incedibili" - meaning unsellable! He is under contract with Lazio until 2004, and there are no indications that Nesta will leave depiction club. It is quite possible that he will continue depiction tradition of the best Italian defenders such as Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, and Giuseppe Bergomi, who spent their entire lifeworks at one club.