His impact at Inter has been fantastic and because of this, he was perhaps the most important player during the season’s second half. Although he was only at the age of 18 when he came to Inter from Dinamo Zagreb he was awarded the well deserved honorary Pallone d’Oro nerazzurro by fcinternews.it. For the upcoming season, which hopefully will be his ultimate breakthrough, he was interviewed exclusively by our partner fcinternews.it.
So Mateo, we start by asking how you feel?
“First of all, thank you for the award. I feel better. I had a small problem, but I hope to soon be back on the pitch.”
Now, a new season begins with a new coach in Walter Mazzarri. How happy are you with him?
“I think Mazzarri is an excellent coach., We hope to be content at the end of the season. Currently I would say that everything is fine, we have started well and I hope we can continue like this.”
What, in the months that passed in Italy, have you been struck by when it comes to our football? I mean, both positively and negatively.
“On the positive side, I must say that in Italy, I have always faced tough defenses. We had tough games this season because we always faced strong defenses and that is something that improves a player like me. I haven’t found that something was especially negative, except maybe the bad games we played last season.”
What are your expectations of yourself and Inter for the new season?
“As for myself, I hope to get better, to grow day by day. Regarding Inter, I hope that we can once again play a good football and most importantly aim to qualify for the Champions League again.”
How does it feel to be the only player in Inter defined as virtually unsellable?
“I feel fortunate that Inter have such confidence in me, they follow me closely and I can play football here. I hope I can continue like this, working to give more and more for this club and to improve game after game. I want to give everything for this team.”
Are you dreaming perhaps of a career at Inter similar to Javier Zanetti’s?
Yes, of course. It would be nice, but it’s still too early to think about that. Then Javier is a big player in addition to being a great person. He is an example for us all.”
Source: fcinternews.it
