In the summer of 2003, Roman Abramovich strode into Stamford Bridge with a bottomless wallet and chucked endless streams of cash at a plethora of proven talent. However, there were some players that were clearly too good for a Chelsea side in the very early stages of development, and Alessandro Nesta was most certainly one of them. Adriano Galliani, vice-president of AC Milan, claimed in July 2003 that he had rejected an offer of £35 million from an English club, believed to be the free-spending Blues, for the Italian centre-half. However, with Nesta only having joined the Rossoneri from Lazio the previous season for £18 million and having established himself as one of the finest defenders in world football, there was no way that Chelsea could lure him to Stamford Bridge. Does he regret missing out on the opportunity to play abroad during his peak years? Its a question that only he would be able to answer, but considering how he fared at the San Siro in terms of honours, one can surmise that he did alright. With two Serie A titles, two Champions Leagues, two Supercoppa Italianas and a FIFA Club World Cup in his locker, the World Cup-winning centre-half has an impressive repertoire with AC Milan.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
