The days before the sale of 70 percent of Inter to Erick Thohir is completed Massimo Moratti spoke to Sette about his years as the club’s owner, recounts the best players and sums up his 18 years as president: “Inter has always been nothing but a passion for all of us,” says the president and remembers what his father Angelo Moratti said in 1980: “You have to see if you could take over Inter because an experience in football must be made. It helps you grow, to suffer, to get better.”
The interview also gave the president the opportunity to name the coaches and players he is most fond of, from Javier Zanetti: “The first player I saw and who I chose. I had not yet purchased Inter when there was a video cassette sent to me with a match with the Argentine U-20 team so that I could look at Ortega who didn
t make me enthusiastic and instead, oddly enough, I let myself be enchanted by a left-back who did things I had never seen. We bought him and he is still with us. Now I’ve discovered that he comes from the planet Krypton and will continue another 4-5 years.”
Regarding Paul Ince he says: “An adviser had whispered to me that it would be better to avoid black players because the Curva had another idea. I already wanted him because he was a great midfielder so, maybe not to challenge or perhaps a little, I removed all doubts and he came here. The response from the public was amazing.”
Among his signings Ronaldo is the most talked about: “I bought him because he was very good, but also because nobody thought it was possible to buy him, given that he played for Barcelona. It was an excellent deal, Ronaldo came to us for a high cost but five years later he was sold for twice as much to Real and he gave Inter an image because it opened the world.”
On Recoba: “He was a player of great class, he had the ability to surprise us and himself because he could do something unexpected, and it is the most beautiful thing.”
It is not only great memories and Moratti describes Calciopoli as “a wall that can’t be overcome. In 2006 I wanted to sell the club but the sense of responsibility and respect for the commitment took prevailed.”
During Manicini’s years he was impressed with what the coach said after a draw in October 2006 when Moratti had decided to replace coach and he told him that if he remained calm, they would win the league in style, but don’t change the coach because it would be a mistake: “I liked that he talked about the coach and didn’t speak in the first person. I kept him, we won.”
Among the players he would like to have on the team is Messi: “But he is tied too strongly to Barcelona.”
On the decision to reach an agreement with Thohir: “In 2011, after the Coppa Italia, I thought it was time to step aside, to find new solutions for the club. I was looking for a solution that will open up new markets. It was the right thing to do. I had never intended to be Inter’s president for life.”
Source: fcinternews.it