A stylish defender, he is quite capable of matching his finesse with force when required and he supplements his defensive play with an excellent passing ability.

Nesta is much revered at Lazio where he made his debut at the age of just 17 and his international debut followed against Moldova in 1996.

Although he didn't appear in any matches, he was called into the squad for Euro 96 after Ciro Ferrara pulled out through injury.

He damaged ligaments in his knee while playing against Austria at France 98 but recovered to appear in four Euro 2000 qualifiers and is a certain starter for Italy as long as he is fit.