Defender Alessandro Nesta joins the Montreal Impact
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Thursday that the club has come to terms with Italian defender Alessandro Nesta, who played 20 years in Italy’s first division and who won the FIFA World Cup in 2006. He will officially join the roster upon receiving his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). As per club and MLS policy, details of the deal have not been released. He will not be classified as a Designated Player. The Impact received first priority for Alessandro Nesta from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money.
Nesta played a total of 417 games in Serie A, 101 games in Champions League competition, 17 UEFA Cup/Europa matches and 17 Coppa Italia contests, all while wearing the uniforms of Lazio from 1993-2002, and AC Milan from 2003-2012.
He is considered one of the all-time best central defenders in soccer history. He was named to the UEFA Team of the Year on four occasions (2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007) and was named Serie A Defender of the Year another four times (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003).
“I'm very happy to be here,” said Alessandro Nesta. “Despite some offers to continue my career in Europe, I was looking for a new challenge and wanted to play in MLS. Upon visiting my friend Marco (Di Vaio) to see him play his first game with Montreal, I met great people in this club. I really liked what I saw and I was convinced Montreal was where I wanted to be.”"For a player who won the World Cup and played at the highest level for 20 years, he was extremely humble and it was easy to come to an agreement with him," said Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo. "He already feels a part of the team."
“It’s exciting not only for the team, but also for the club to have a player of his pedigree, a world champion in 2006 and one of the top defenders in the world,” said Impact sporting director Nick De Santis. “Alessandro will bring a lot of leadership qualities through his different experiences, and will be a great mentor to our young players. To have him around the team and on the field will help the club as a whole.”
“It’s an incredible opportunity for our club to add a defender of his talent,” said Impact head coach Jesse Marsch. “We are very anxious to get him into our lineup because he will make us better on every level.”
http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2012/07/defender-alessandro-nesta-joins-montreal-impact
