Veteran Italian defender Alessandro Nesta joined the ever-increasing list of veteran European players in Major League Soccer, by signing for Montreal Impact.
Nesta joins the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane in the MLS.
The club announced the arrival of the former AC Milan player, who will, however, not have the Designated Player status. The designated player status allows a team to sign a certain amount of players who will not come under the league's salary cap.
The 2006 World Cup winner joins Montreal after enduring an injury hit final couple of years, which saw him struggle to play consistently.
The 36-year-old will officially join the roster upon receiving his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). As per club and MLS policy, details of the deal were not released. The Impact received first priority for Nesta from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money.
"I'm very happy to be here," Nesta said.
"Despite some offers to continue my career in Europe, I was looking for a new challenge and wanted to play in MLS.
"Upon visiting my friend Marco (Di Vaio) to see him play his first game with Montreal, I met great people in this club. I really liked what I saw and I was convinced Montreal was where I wanted to be.
Di Vaio, who played with Nest at Lazio, made his debut for Impact last week. Montreal also have other two other Italian players in the squad in Matteo Ferrari and Bernardo Corradi.
"For a player who won the World Cup and played at the highest level for 20 years, he was extremely humble and it was easy to come to an agreement with him," Impact president Joey Saputo said.
"He already feels a part of the team."
"It's exciting not only for the team, but also for the club to have a player of his pedigree, a world champion in 2006 and one of the top defenders in the world," Montreal sporting director Nick De Santis added.
"Alessandro will bring a lot of leadership qualities through his different experiences, and will be a great mentor to our young players. To have him around the team and on the field will help the club as a whole.
Head coach Jesse Marsch hoped Nesta's arrival would make a big impact. "It's an incredible opportunity for our club to add a defender of his talent," Marsch said.
"We are very anxious to get him into our line-up because he will make us better on every level."
