Nesta relives famous 2003 UCL final

Alessandro Nesta recalls his penalty kick during Milan's 2003 UCL final win over Juventus.

Transcript

00:00 What about the moment when you said "Wow, I think it's definitely the Champions League"?

00:06 My first year in Milan, we were playing the final against Juventus, the Champions League final at the Trafford stadium in Manchester.

00:15 The game ended in a draw, the coach convinced me to play a penalty, which is very difficult.

00:22 First of all, you're dead tired because you've had to adjust the time, plus the extra time.

00:27 Then you have to understand who wants to play a penalty, because not everyone wants to play a penalty in the Champions League final.

00:34 Some do it out of fatigue, some because they don't feel it and they have to be respected.

00:39 So the first problem is who's going to play?

00:41 Carletto was watching you.

00:42 No, Carletto wasn't.

00:43 No.

00:44 Because Carletto could never expect me to ask him.

00:47 So I said "Coach, I'll play the penalty".

00:49 "Are you sure?"

00:51 "Yes, coach, I'll play it".

00:54 He said "If I knock on the door, we'll try it".

00:57 So I went, but the pressure, I remember from midfield to the box, it was all about the rally.

01:04 I couldn't hear people, my brain didn't know where it was.

01:08 Now I look at myself, I look at myself, it happens to me that I've seen myself.

01:12 I say "I'm crazy, why did I go and get a penalty? Who made me do it?"

01:16 And then in front of me was Buffon, my great friend, the strongest goalkeeper of all time for me.

01:22 And I prepare myself, because I prepared myself.

01:25 In training I tried, I start, I've never scored a penalty in my life.

01:30 I open, Gigi, instead you stay still.

01:33 What do I do?

01:34 You don't have much strength if you load.

01:37 I opened the plate and it started.

01:39 He says, he says, and he puts his hand, he tries to take it, then he takes it in a strange direction.

01:44 But it's not my ability, it weighs badly.

01:47 I take the ball, I do this, because as a defender I start with a half-kicked, no, I hit it.

01:53 And I put it in.

01:55 So I think that night was the first great night of my career, where they made me take an international step.

02:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]