Ahead of the game this afternoon between Hamburg and Inter, hsv.de interviewed former Inter player Jürgen Klinsmann who talked about his experiences in the Italian top flight. Klinsmann explained that he travelled to Italy in a VW camper van of all things.
Jürgen Klinsmann, Hamburger SV and Inter Milan – two big names in European football go head to head in a friendly on Saturday at the Imtech Arena. What kind of emotions do such games awake in you?
“Lots of different ones. I grew up with HSV because my Dad was a huge fan of Uwe Seeler. My father admired the wonderful sporting way he played. So it was very special when I met the great man myself. Inter was the most important club I played for in my career, because I made the Major move from Stuttgart to a top club abroad.”
Inter is one of the great names in football. What makes the club so special?
“The tradition, history and the importance of the club both in Italy and worldwide. Inter Milan is more than just a club with huge personalities in charge.”
You wore the Inter shirt from 1989 until 1992. What are the moments you remember most?
“It is not about certain moments, but far more about my whole time there that lives on in my memory. Of course winning the UEFA Cup, the derbies against AC Milan and of course Napoli with Diego Maradona are right up there. At the time every team was allowed three foreign players – ours were Germans, AC Milan had Dutchmen, while Napoli chose Argentineans. I remember rocking up there as a young man with my furniture in the back of a VW camper van. I soon learned that the people there were not how I wanted them to be but simply the way they were. That had an effect on me as did my first meeting with the president and other personalities at the club.”
How strongly do you still follow Inter, and do you still have contacts there?
“Very closely. As we played Italy in Genua last year, I invited my former Inter president Ernesto Pellegrini and his family to the game as well as some of my former team mates. We all met at the team hotel and it was a special experience.”
Inter only finished in ninth place in the Serie A last season. Was it just a slip up or is the gap to the likes of Juve, Napoli and AC Milan increasing?
“You cannot judge a club like Inter on one season alone – it was only a slip up. The club will pull out all the stops to be competitive again and they will do so.”
The game against Inter is the final stern test for HSV ahead of the new season. Are the Rothosen ready for them and how do you view recent developments at the club.
“It is a little tough to offer an opinion from 10,000 kilometres away. But I think they are set for the new season, the sporting staff are competent. I just hope that such a tradition-steeped club like HSV will be able to play in Europe on a regular basis.”
Källa: hsv.de
