In an interview with Inter’s official You Tube channel, legendary Inter attacker Ivan Zamorano has sang the praises of former Inter manager Luigi ‘Gigi’ Simoni, who recently passed away following a long battle with illness.
“He built a family, that Inter squad in ‘97/98 made a dream come true by winning that incredible UEFA Cup,” the former Chilean international began the interview.
“He wasn’t just a great coach, but also a great man and it wasn’t easy to do that with a team containing so many champions, but we all fought together to achieve our aims.
“We have a wonderful memory of him; he did everything he could to build that family. Personally, Simoni made me play well in the most important matches of that UEFA Cup run and it was so rewarding for me to have a coach like him, because he always encouraged me.”
He then went on to recall the third goal that was scored that night which came with thanks to Ronaldo, who famously rounded Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani before slotting into an empty net.
“Only Ronaldo could score a goal like that, with that trademark move. He could do so many incredible things, for me he’s the best no.9 the world has seen, and that goal represents everything he’s about, speed and magic.
“Ronaldo was a Phenomenon and I’m a workhorse, so we complemented each other well because in every great team you need a player who has the skills and one who works for the team.”
He then went on to discuss being a player who gave absolutely everything that he had whilst he was on the pitch.
“The fans still remember me as a warrior. Of course I had some ability, especially with my head, but I like to be remembered as someone who always gave his all on the pitch, who fought tirelessly for every ball.”
Zamorano arrived at Inter in the Summer of 1996 from Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and spent the next five years with the side before departing for Liga MX outfit Club America.
During his stint in the Nerazzurri, Zamorano, who famously wore 1+8 on his shirt, made 150 appearances across all competitions, in which he netted 41 goals and provided three assists for his teammates.
