Nesta: ‘In 2002 I didn’t want to join Milan – I wanted Inter after Juventus move collapsed’

Alessandro Nesta has revealed that his move from Lazio to Milan in 2002 was not his first choice, admitting he initially wanted to join Inter and had also rejected the chance to move to Juventus earlier that summer.

Speaking on the ‘BSMT’ podcast hosted by Gianluca Gazzoli, with quotes via MilanNews24, the former Italy defender recalled the turbulent weeks that led to his last-minute transfer to San Siro – a move dictated largely by Lazio’s financial crisis under president Sergio Cragnotti.

“The first six months I was terrible because I didn’t want to be at Milan,” Nesta confessed. “I missed everything, I missed Rome. We Romans are like that, we’re closed. Think about it – a few months earlier there was Juve, but I didn’t want to go there, to be honest. Then that move collapsed, and I was supposed to go to Inter.”

The 2002 summer window remains one of the most memorable in Serie A history, shaped by the aftermath of the World Cup in Korea and Japan and Inter’s infamous May 5 collapse that handed Juventus the Scudetto.

“After May 5, Inter disappeared for me,” Nesta continued. “I didn’t want to go to Milan because I thought Inter would win the following year – I was sure of it. Instead, we won the Champions League in my first season.”

Nesta went on to form one of Europe’s strongest defensive partnerships alongside Paolo Maldini, winning two Champions League titles with Milan and cementing his status as one of the finest defenders of his generation.