Jeison Murillo is a name that Inter have been linked with for a couple weeks now. Piero Ausilio has worked at length to convince the Pozzo family to part ways with the star defender of their Granada club, but it seems not to be this window.
Calciomercato.it spoke with the central defender in a long interview recently.
He addressed rumors of his move to Inter, and admitted the fact that he’s an Interista.
“I know that there are rumors to the effect that I will move to Inter shortly, but I don’t think I will, at least not right now. My head is focused on Granada, I want to focus on keeping the team in the top flight and then we’ll see. Until I put on the Nerazzurri shirt, if that happens, I will stay focused only on the Andalusian team.”
“At an early age I dreamed of playing in Barcelona, because the Catalan team won many championships, but in Colombia I was part of the Inter Campus project with Deportivo Cali, and I could not be other than a fan. Ivan Ramiro Cordoba is an idol, so I know Inter since I was a child and it is clear that the Nerazzurri are my favorite Italian team. Then there’s my friend Guarin who has told me good things about the Beneamata, and I must say that I’d love to one day play with one of my compatriots like him. Please just say that I will be an Inter player soon, but again to be clear: I am only focused on Granada right now, will stay here, and we will see (again) in the future.”
He praised Ivan Ramiro Cordoba and Mario Yepes, but admitted his personal footballing idol:
“Thiago Silva, the best defender in the world, the most complete and to whom all young people hold in respect and should be inspired by.”
The 22 year-old spilled the secret behind his great performances against world-class attackers:
“When you have to mark people like Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo you prepare long before the game,” the tough defender said. “Those are the strikers whom you dream to mark, that you wish every day to face. Playing against them helps you improve your performance, promotes your growth and acquiring a lot of experience. Messi can do nothing for much of the match, then appears suddenly and that’s the winner. Ronaldo loves to talk more with his teammates instead, and is the heart of the game in a more constant way. He is also a physical player, it is difficult to mark someone like him, and you must do it with intelligence and also be helped by your teammates.”
He brushed on the appreciation Italian football offers to defenders and defensive tacticians.
“Since you (in Italy) are playing a tactical football, defensively speaking you work a lot and the defenders only improve in Serie A.”
Jeison is very faithful to his family; to his housewife mother, and house-painter father, “who paints because he knows it well, and likes what he does.”
“I was aiming to become a professional footballer, I did not have a plan B, and I gave my all to do that, thank God I did. I now enjoy this, but I would stress that it is not right to use the word ‘sacrifice’ when talking about footballers. I would say that I have come down to some compromises. I made so many efforts, because football is a sport that requires a lot of discipline and responsibility. When I had to, I was doing schooling, not that I was a ‘nerd,’ but if I had to study, then I studied. Yes, therefore I can say that I had a goal, a dream, and I worked hard to achieve it.”
Source: fcinternews.it
What stood out to you in the interview? What do you think of Jeison? Let us know in the comments section!
