Alessandro Nesta makes bizarre Liverpool accusation which fuelled AC Milan revenge in 2007 | OneFootball

Alessandro Nesta has aimed a bizarre accusation at Liverpool which he believes was motivational fuel for AC Milan to avenge their defeat in the 2005 Champions League final when the two teams met in the showpiece fixture again a couple of years later.

The legendary Italy defender (who recently bestowed glowing praise on Virgil van Dijk) was in the Rossoneri side which relinquished a 3-0 half-time lead against the Reds in Istanbul 20 years ago, and the one which gained revenge with a 2-1 victory in Athens in the 2007 decider.

Andrea Pirlo previously spoke of how that latter triumph felt ‘a little sweeter’ after what happened in 2005, and one of his teammates from that era has now echoed similar sentiments.

Nesta takes aim at ‘show-offy’ Liverpool

As a guest on The BSMT podcast by Gianluca Gazzoli, Nesta reflected on the Athens final and how the Merseysiders’ ‘show-offy’ celebrations at the Ataturk Stadium left Milan convinced that they’d get their own back in the Greek capital.

He recalled: “We were a strong group of men. We came together, we set the goal, and we won. Against Liverpool, it was destiny again; they knew it too in 2007. Also, because if you’re a show-off when you win, sooner or later you’ll have to pay the price – in fact, we hit them again, and they lost.

“When you win, you have to know how to win. From the bus, we won that match. You know when you feel it; they had been too show-offy.”

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Of course Liverpool were going to celebrate wildly!

The 49-year-old’s comments about Liverpool’s celebrations seem bizarre, especially coming from someone who twice had the pleasure of Champions League glory in his career and knows how special a feeling it is to win the competition.

It was even more incredible for the Reds considering the manner of how the 2005 final transpired – to recover from being 3-0 down at half-time against a formidable Milan side and go on to triumph on penalties defied logic and warranted the exuberance which came with that momentous achievement.

Also, it wasn’t as if LFC were spoiled with trophy-winning riches at the time – it had been 21 years since they’d previously won the European Cup, and the match in Istanbul came after a poor domestic season in which Rafael Benitez’s side had limply finished fifth in the Premier League, one place behind Everton.

For Nesta to accuse Liverpool of showing off after the miraculous comeback at the Ataturk Stadium seems peculiar. What were we supposed to do, humbly accept the trophy and walk off the pitch sheepishly?

Despite the Reds actually giving a stronger overall performance in Athens two years later, sadly it was Milan who came out on top, but there’s no disputing that Benitez and his players gave the club’s younger fans the kind of European memories which had seemingly belonged only to a past generation.