Ironside

When Zidane left Juventus for Real Madrid in 2001, Juventus replaced him with Pavel Nedved from Lazio. Everyone laughed. You cannot replace Zidane. Nedved was not elegant. He was a furious, tireless Czech midfielder who ran like a machine and shot with both feet. Juventus did not need another artist. They needed an engine. In 2002-03, that engine became the best player in the world. Juventus won Serie A, and Nedved was the system. In the Champions League, he knocked out Barcelona, then outplayed Real Madrid's Galacticos in the semi-final. He scored the rocket that sent Juventus to the final at Old Trafford. Then, in the 82nd minute, he was booked for a tackle on Steve McManaman. Suspended for the final. He watched in a suit as Juventus lost to Milan on penalties. He later called it the worst night of his career. Two months later, he still won the Ballon d'Or. 190 points. First Czech since Josef Masopust in 1962. People say Thierry Henry was robbed. He was not. Henry was brilliant in 2003. He scored 32 goals for Arsenal and was the most talented forward in England. But the Ballon d'Or is not a Golden Boot for the Premier League. Arsenal won nothing that season. They finished second in the league, lost the FA Cup, and were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Valencia. Henry disappeared when it mattered most in Europe. Nedved did the opposite. He won the league. He carried Juventus to a Champions League final. He beat Zidane, Figo, and Ronaldo head-to-head to get there. He decided the biggest games of the season. Henry was the better goalscorer. Nedved was the better player that year. Goals do not make you the best if your team wins nothing and you go missing in the knockout rounds. Nedved won the Ballon d'Or without even playing the final. That is not luck. That is proof of how much he mattered. If he had played that final, Juventus probably win it. His story would be perfect. Instead, it is bittersweet. Which is why we still talk about it 23 years later.