The Nerazzurri vice-president Javier Zanettiinterviewed by Radio Serie A, retraced Inter’s Scudetto ride and told many interesting anecdotes from the past, present and future. Below are his statements, starting with some of the main protagonists of the Beneamata season.
Calhanoglu?
“Great, he has personality and is a real driving force. Hakan is one of those who deserved to win the championship in this way.”
Mkhitaryan?
“A thinking player, he is the brain of the team. You don’t have to explain anything to him, he knows everything.”
Stretcher?
“Extraordinary championship, as a true leader and driving force, defensively and offensively. Always at the service of the team.”
Marco’s?
“A child’s dream. He grew up with us, he left and now he’s back as a man. We’ve seen his Interism throughout the season.”
You have forgiven Lukaku?
“I don’t know if the right word is to forgive. We were disappointed above all because of the timing and because he wasn’t clear from the beginning. However, I wish him a great career.”
Who was the main protagonist of the Scudetto?
“Mister, staff, players, but also the fans. I would say Inter.”
How much you missed President Zhang?
“We missed him physically, but only physically. We are always in touch. He was happy, he really wanted to be here.”
There are those who call the Serie A championship the Marotta League.
“It’s funny when you see a team that dominated the championship from start to finish.
How can the cycle of this Inter continue?
“We must remain competitive in all events. The objective for next year is already clear: to defend the second star and perhaps go further in the Champions League. Then there will also be the Club World Cup, a very important competition. We will need a broad roster to face all these commitments”.
He tells us how his career as a footballer began?
“I stopped playing and started working as a bricklayer with my father. It was he who pushed me to try again after my first disappointment at Independiente. Being a bricklayer with my father, at 13 years old, made me taught the value of sacrifices”.
This Inter will strengthen itself on the market?
“If opportunities arise that the coach deems important to continue the growth of our team, we will do so.”
Zirkzee is a goal?
“Zirkzee is a great champion. We are talking about a young, talented, intelligent, physically very strong player. Someone like that would be useful to any great team aiming for important goals. If an important opportunity presents itself, maybe we can think about it” .
What an attack it would be with Lautaro and Thuram…
“Zirkzee, Lautaro and Thuram are three young, strong strikers who give you peace of mind.”
By the way, Lautaro and Barella renew?
“Lautaro and Barella will certainly renew. Both on our part and on their part there is maximum predisposition to continue working together.”
How much the elimination from the Champions League hurts?
“The Champions League is a very difficult competition, made up of details. We must have great respect for every opponent. It should have gone differently against Atletico, which is unfortunate because in the two matches we had many opportunities to score the goal that would have seen us through.”
How important the Club World Cup is for Inter?
“This competition is prestigious, with many teams. The fact of participating is already something that makes us proud. We want to be protagonists at the Club World Cup too.”
What is Javier Zanetti’s dream still to come true??
“I want to continue with important victories for Inter and maybe think about the Champions League, it wouldn’t be bad to raise another one as vice-president.”