FRANCE 98 – Alessandro Nesta goes home to Italy

After suffering an injury in the match between ITALY and AUSTRIA (Group B) on Tuesday 23 June in PARIS (match no. 33), Italian defender Alessandro NESTA (6) left the following day for Rome. Tests after the match at the Lilas clinic (PARIS) revealed that he has a lesion of the cruciate and collatoral ligaments in his right knee. The player will be admitted to the Stuart clinic in Rome, where he will be cared for by Dr. Pier-Paolo Mariani, who knows the players well. Disappointed but optimistic, NESTA willingly gave several minutes of his time to journalists who awaited him at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport (north of PARIS). “I’m leaving a great Italian team behind. I hope to be able to come back to PARIS to encourage the team if they push through to the finals,” he stated. Even if he leaves with a heavy heart, the great defender is not going to give in to defeat. “I thank God for having already given me the opportunity to participate in a European Cup and in this World Cup even though I’m only 22 years old.” However, he admits that the French capital has wronged him before, “as it is also here that I lost the UEFA Cup with Lazio of Rome against Inter of Milan…”

Tuesday evening after the match, Alessandro rejoined the Italian delegation, which was celebrating the team’s victory (2-1). Accompanied by his guitar, the singer Claudio Baglioni dedicated a song to him entitled “Buona fortuna” (Good Luck). Giuseppe BERGOMI (2), who will henceforth replace the defender, also showed his appreciation and respect for Alessandro and declared that the ITALY team will always spare a thought for him during their upcoming matches.

After the injuries suffered by Ciro Ferrara, Angelo Perruzzi, and the sending off of Fabrizio Ravanelli, ITALY is now losing another key element of their team. “I will be out of action for five or six months,” said NESTA. “I hope to be able to play again before Christmas.”