Alessandro Costacurta was born on 24 April 1966 in Jerago con Orago, a small town in the province of Varese. He was a world-class defender with great technical ability and strong tactical intelligence who tied his professional career to the AC Milan shirt. He spent one season on loan at Monza in Serie C1, and then became a Rossoneri stalwart from 1987 onwards, winning almost everything with the club: seven Scudetto titles, five Italian Super Cups, one Coppa Italia, five Champions Leagues, four European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. In addition to those numerous trophies, he’s the third most-capped AC Milan player in official matches and he also boasts the record of being the third oldest outfield player to have played in the Champions League (at the age of 40 years and 213 days).

He was part of the Italian U21 team from 1986, taking part in two European Championships with that age group, before making his senior national team debut on 13 November 1991, under Arrigo Sacchi’s management. He was a starter during the 1994 World Cup, where Italy reached the final in Pasadena but lost on penalties to Brazil. He also confirmed himself as a fundamental part of Italy’s team in the 1996 European Championship as well as the ’98 World Cup in France, an event in which his national team adventure ended after 59 appearances and two goals.