Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2025

57 ASPIRE IN THE WORLD FELLOWS 11TH ASPIRE ACADEMY GLOBAL SUMMIT STARCHAT (05) AlessandroNesta STAR CHAT Thank you. I don’t want to talk about the past; the past is in the past. Now we have to look to the future. That’s the most important thing. Very difficult. My first coaching job was in the United States at Miami FC, in the second division. The most difficult thing was killing the football player inside me. When you still think like a player, everything looks terrible. I had just retired, and the year before my teammates were Clarence Seedorf, Kaká, Shevchenko. I kept comparing my players to them. Every day I was angry, and I showed it. One day my assistant told me, “Alesandro, if you continue like this, you’ll stop coaching in a year. Enjoy what you do. Help players fix mistakes.” The day I killed the player inside me was the day I became a coach. Sometimes he still comes out, but now I’m stronger at controlling him. And that’s important. Competition is everything for me. After I retired and moved to Miami, I spent two years doing nothing, going to the supermarket, being with the kids, and having a normal life. A very boring life. I started coaching because I need adrenaline. I want to compete every day. Even when I play with my son, he never wins. My wife says, “Come on, Alessandro, Tommaso is a good boy.” But for me, if you deserve to win, you win. If not, you lose. I grew up with people asking me every day to win, to perform. Maybe it’s not ideal as a father, but it’s who I am. Welcome Alessandro Nesta. I won’t list all the trophies you’ve won, because we’d need half an hour for that. I’m very curious about your career. Howwas the transition from playing to coaching? How important is motivation for you?