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There was a very special guest on last night’s edition of Mondo Inter: president Massimo Moratti.

Some of the most important steps in Moratti’s reign as president were retraced: he was the first to give a football club its own website; the first to champion the use of squad numbers in Italy with players’ names on the shirts; the first to promote internationalism in his team; the first to opt out of a power structure that influenced Italian football for years; the first to achieve a clean sweep in Italy and win the treble; the first to come up with an idea like Inter Campus; the first to invest heavily in the youth academy; the first in terms of trophies (Inter have won 16 since 1995/96); and finally the first to open up to new foreign markets having understood how football is to grow in the third millennium.

“Let’s start with the internet because I couldn’t not be the first because the internet didn’t exist in the past,” replied the president with a smile. “I have to say the credit goes to my wife. She really insisted on it and we got in there early on. Everything else is a product of persistence.”

“The ‘first’ regarding foreign players is amusing, but the thing that gives me the most pride is what makes the fans happy. It might be the Champions League, the treble, the consistency of certain league titles. These are all great and important achievements, but one thing that makes me proud from another perspective is Inter Campus because in my mind it’s something that completely goes against what clubs usually do, where they’re in and out very quickly. I almost don’t like to talk about it because it might seem like we’re trying to praise this project, but sometimes you’re right to. This is something we need to try and protect because it involves more than 12,000 children.”

They talked football, past and present, and about a lifetime spent at Inter. Here’s what Massimo Moratti had to say: “You see football as a way of expressing the great things you have within you, in cases like these you can also make mistakes, but at times you can do something great. I believe this is how a football team expresses itself and expressing oneself means understanding what the fans want and which is very often a sign of the club, something unique and the unique thing about Inter was the fact that we’re different from other teams. Every fan feels active in this club and in cases like this you have to create a brand. When I first came in there was an advisor who told me not to buy black players because the die-hard Nerazzurri fans wouldn’t have liked it and so, not necessarily to provoke him – or perhaps a little – the first player I bought was Ince. The supporters’ response was fantastic, Ince was one of their most-loved players. The thing Inter have done over their history, more than any other team, is to try and understand what the fans really want.”

Does the president feel he has been paid back by the Nerazzurri fans? “Yes, definitely so. The fans have always tried to be understanding with me and, when they weren’t that, they were right. I haven’t got any negative memories of the fans because they understand that they are the real owners of a football team, they’re the only ones who really have their hands on it because they are the ones who support and bring it to life, always.”

Thinking back to 18 February 1995, president Massimo Moratti – the guest on today’s episode of Inter Channel’s ‘Mondo Inter’ – tried to explain what he feels: “Nostalgia? I experienced that time with a great sense of responsibility, we went through some tough times during which there were some big mountains to climb. I don’t know if I can talk about nostalgia. When you love someone, I believe, above all, you like to think of them. I don’t think I have the right to say, ‘Well, I’ll keep going myself.’ That’s not something I have the right to, no one does because Inter has its glorious history, and the club needs to keep that with those who will be in charge. I think it’s right, even if you don’t hand it over, to at least not feel the main man at all times.

“When did this idea come about to find partners? After the treble, given that we had to change coach and there was a slightly strange feel to the place because the guy who came in was a little bothered by the past. But it went well both with Benitez and Leonardo. At that time I started to think that I’d experienced everything and that it would be good to look around, because supporting a football club on your own is hardly a light undertaking. There was an interesting opportunity with the Chinese, then there were issues back home for them, and things couldn’t move forward, but the idea to find partners, someone international was still there. These gentlemen got in touch and they did it with such enthusiasm, something which really struck us. They’re genuinely enthusiastic, and what’s more they have a significant market which can be further developed with the name of our club.”

What about the role president Moratti will retain in the club? “Being used to having a role, not that was important, but that had responsibility, it’s difficult to change it. These gentlemen have very kindly asked me to stay on, but we’ll see.”

The ties which are set to grow stronger first came about via a friendly in Indonesia: “The enthusiasm from that day certainly stayed with me, that really marked me as a positive experience. Plus we’re talking about a country that is growing economically and this also helps those people to make such an investment,” explained the president.

Moratti was then asked to list his top three trophies based on sentimental value. “I couldn’t really snub the Champions League and put it in second place, could I? The Champions League final that we won in Madrid was a game we all won before we actually won it, a game we went into so calmly it was as if we knew in advance that we would win it. On the other hand I suffered all the way through our win at Siena and the Coppa Italia final. But it’s not easy to put them all in order.”

“We had some wonderful Scudetto-winning seasons too. Winning at Parma the way we did with Roberto Mancini in charge, with that brace by Ibrahimovic in the second half, was fantastic. Generally the more you suffer the more passionate you are. The first Coppa Italia was pretty good too… They’re all moments that give you a unique sense of joy. I must say that I felt fully appeased after winning the Champions League because it was proof of our strength, proof that everything we’d done had been done well.”

It’s hard to imagine a non-Italian as president of Inter and that was another matter discussed by president Moratti: “I understand that, I really do, and it’s something I’m thinking about. We’ll try to find the best solution. It could always be another Italian.”

Then on his relationship with Erick Thohir: “All my feelings are positive, and my feelings are based on what I’ve seen of him both as a businessman and the way he is in his personal relations. He’s a cheerful man and the fact he doesn’t go around with a long face is a big plus. He’s a naturally cheerful person and he has a likeable way of going about things. He’s ambitious, which is good for the future of the club, and he’s a hard worker too. He works morning to night and he also places a big emphasis on friendship. He has these two partners who have been working with him for the last 25 years. I’ve met them and they seem to be very interesting people, albeit different to each other.”

“As a group they have a lot to offer. Their difficulty might be that they live so far away, but they’re aware of that and will be careful. The last thing they want is to be invasive, they don’t want to come across as heavy-handed. What makes Thohir likeable is that he’s so down to earth and he’d like people to realise that and not think he’s the way certain news agencies make him out to be. He obviously hasn’t lived Inter’s history for the last 50 years but when you’re president you soon become a fan because you suffer so much…”

“Let’s say we’ve not exactly had the rub of the green in the last three games, but we’ve also made mistakes of course. But I think these matches have served as great experience for Mazzarri because they’ve allowed him to go into greater depth on the team, players and tactical systems. Mazzarri is a very reactive person, he’s very capable and he’s in a new environment. He also needs to gradually find his feet. The players appreciate him a lot because he’s got a phenomenal work ethic. I think we could have done without these three games, but if it had to happen, it’s better it happened now. The important thing is that there aren’t serious or long-term injuries.”

What about the Nerazzurri coach’s ability to work with players and in particular his role in the renaissance of Alvarez and Jonathan? “He certainly has the ability to talk to everyone, he doesn’t do it because he has to, but because that’s who he is. He’s a very capable coach, I think he’ll be able to consolidate all this with performances that make us happy and that we deserve.”

“The Inter fans love the guys who won the treble, I see it at the San Siro every time they touch the ball. The survivors can still give a lot, it’s not easy to replace them. You become almost envious of the way Milito moves. Zanetti is fantastic, I’ve heard he’s back training from today. He’s incredible, I thought he’d need another two or three months, yet he’s almost ready. We’re talking about champions who are 100% tied to Inter. Cambiasso is an example of professionalism and a serious approach. Then there’s Samuel… They will all be very useful.”

Finally, Moratti shared his thoughts on Inter’s next opponents in the league, Hellas Verona: “I think everyone’s been surprised by their brilliant start. A team that comes up from Serie B and has all this success… I can’t remember many. Mandorlini? He’s right to say they should enjoy the moment and that he thinks they could lose to Inter and that’s nothing serious!”

Source: inter.it