{"id":8355,"date":"2025-03-26T07:16:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T07:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betwealthsuretips.com\/blog\/nesta-on-milan-painful-and-glorious-moments-against-liverpool-depression-after-retirement\/"},"modified":"2025-03-26T07:16:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T07:16:08","slug":"nesta-on-milan-painful-and-glorious-moments-against-liverpool-depression-after-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betwealthsuretips.com\/blog\/nesta-on-milan-painful-and-glorious-moments-against-liverpool-depression-after-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Nesta on Milan painful and glorious moments against Liverpool, depression after retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"NAPLES,<\/picture><\/div>\n

Monza coach Alessandro Nesta (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Alessandro Nesta looked back over his career, turning down Real Madrid, experiencing both glory and pain at Milan against Liverpool, plus why depression hit after retirement.<\/p>\n

The former Lazio and Milan defender is currently the coach of Serie A side Monza, where he was recalled after a brief period of being sacked in December 2024.<\/p>\n

Sitting down for a long interview with former Italy teammate Luca Toni on Amazon Prime Video Italia, he recalled his playing career with some surprising revelations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe year before I went to Milan, Real Madrid had called and I said no, because I wanted to stay at Lazio. Then Milan came, Lazio were falling apart, then the first year at San Siro we won the Champions League and Coppa Italia,\u201d said Nesta.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first four months, I was horrible, as I was struggling to detach myself from Rome, but once I realised where I was, I rolled my sleeves up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rossoneri won the Champions League in 2003 by beating Juventus on penalties in Manchester.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody slept the night before, because if you lose to Manchester United, nobody will say anything, but losing to Juventus\u2026 Paolo Maldini and Andrea Pirlo were super tense too. It was a bad game for me, few scoring opportunities and it went to penalties.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had only taken one penalty before, for the Under-21 side. Some were limping, others didn\u2019t feel ready, the coach pretended not to notice me at first, but seeing as so many others pulled out\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI surprised Buffon, because I hit it with my toes. I was prepared to wait until the last second and then shoot when Gigi moved. But Buffon didn\u2019t move. So I didn\u2019t have a Plan B and I sort of scuffed it, but it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nesta\u2019s Milan take revenge on Liverpool<\/h2>\n
\"epa00998510
epa00998510 Defender Alessandro Nesta of AC Milan celebrate the victory at the end of the Champions League second leg semifinal match against Manchester United in Milan\u2019s San Siro-Giuseppe Meazza stadium late 02 May 2007. AC Milan won 3-0 and acceeds to the final match against Liverpool which will be played in Athens on 23 May. EPA\/ETTORE FERRARI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, Nesta insists the Milan side that lost to Liverpool in the Istanbul Champions League Final of 2005 was stronger than in 2003.<\/p>\n

They were leading 3-0 only to concede three goals in the space of six minutes, then capitulate on penalties.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not true that we were celebrating in the locker room at half-time, some idiot from the other team said that, I don\u2019t even know his name. It was actually quite tense, we knew there was a long way to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteven Gerrard kept Liverpool afloat, he was an animal back then, he was everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happened after the defeat in Istanbul?<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody talked in the locker room, nobody dared. We went to eat with our families and it was total silence. All summer, I\u2019d wake up and think that can\u2019t have really happened. But when we met up again, we said to ourselves it cannot end like this. We just had to get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milan got their revenge by beating Liverpool 2-1 in Athens for the 2007 Champions League Final.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was destiny, we were convinced that we would win, because we couldn\u2019t not win again,\u201d continued Nesta.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually played worse than the Final we lost, but we were more solid and had that belief, right from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cPippo Inzaghi could barely stand due to muscular problems, Alberto Gilardino was in incredible form, but the coach had this intuition that gets you to win the Champions League. He knew Pippo even in bad shape could score goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cKaka was in amazing shape, we were sure that we\u2019d win. Even Liverpool knew it, you could tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FLORENCE,<\/picture>
FLORENCE, ITALY \u2013 JANUARY 29: Alessandro Nesta during the \u201cPanchina d\u2019Oro\u201d award season 2022\/2023 at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on January 29, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nesta left Milan for the Montreal Impact in 2012 before hanging up his boots in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said enough after surgery and needing two painkillers a day, my body was telling me it was cooked. The year before, I played two games against Lionel Messi\u2019s Barcelona, but I knew a year later he\u2019d crush me if we met again.<\/p>\n

\u201cMilan had proposed another year on my contract, but I said no. I\u2019m a defender, I have to chase people down, it\u2019s harder for a striker to realise he\u2019s finished.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Nesta did finally retire from playing, he fully admits that he struggled with depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day seemed the same, my wife was a saint to put up with me. I lacked adrenaline and needed competition, so I needed to get back to football and the only way was to be a coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is more fun to play, but once the adrenaline kicks in, your mentality does change.\u201d<\/p>\n