Born again under coach Mancini, il Profeta Hernanes spoke to Brazilian portal Lancenet and revealed the secrets of his rebirth that led him to be one of the leaders of the new Inter: “Age? I never thought that 30 years was an advanced age. I’m in the best moment of my career. Even Jesus, who is always part of my life, began his journey when he was 30 years. In three years he changed the history of the world and humanity. I, in the same way, I want to change my story and my world in the next three years,” began the Nerazzurri midfielder.
You said that Jesus Christ is your inspiration: do you, like him, believe in miracles?
“To this question I reply with the quote of another man, Albert Einstein: ‘There are two ways to live your life: one is to believe that there are no miracles; the other is to believe that all things are miracles’. I think I am a part of the second group and I see all my successes as miracles, something out of the ordinary. Because when you live in normality, average, you don’t win anything. I consider every success in my life a miracle.”
You want to change your life in the next three years. But Jesus died at 33, you are not considering retiring at that time too?
“No, in fact Jesus rose again when he was 33 years. From there the story began. I hope to achieve all that I want. I still want to accomplish many things in my career.”
What “miracles” are you hoping for?
“I dream to get into the Champions League with Inter. I hope to become a champion with this club, it would be very important, to win this championship is my first goal.”
Would playing in another World Cup be a miracle as well?
“Of course. It would be the crowning achievement of these next three years. I’d like to play in the World Cup in Russia in 2018, by then I will be 33 years.”
Why do you look at the 33 years as the peak of your career?
“This is the hottest stage of my career. I’m at the peak of my physical strength and my maturity. I have become more mature and have experience, but my essence is the same: I am still a guy who wants to have fun and play. I changed a lot, but nothing has changed (laughs). It’s interesting the way I experience my growth. I’m enjoying it and I’m not done. I have yet to accomplish many things, but without haste. I still have a lot to demonstrate and different objectives to be achieved.”
To achieve these miracles Inter will again demonstrate its strength in Euorpe, but in recent years much has left to be desired…
“Football is now. Inter have recently experienced a very nice period, winning five consecutive titles in Serie A. Juventus is now living the moment. They faced a period of change, they have formed a winning team and have managed to reap the fruits of what was sown. We must sow to collect, you can not gather without sowing. I repeat: football is made of cycles. And you need to know this to enjoy the victories. We are motivated to turn the wheel. The wheel must turn.”
Recently, the German idol Lothar Matthäus, who played in Italy, said that Inter is going through a “mediocre phase”…
“I think that word is a bit too much. I think that we are not up to what you expect from Inter. We know what the club is and that you can do much, much more. Everyone uses words they want, but we know where we want to go.”
But why has Italian football lost so much ground to the other leagues? What happened?
“Italian football is a protagonist again. Juventus played the final of the Champions League and had a chance to win it. Napoli was not far from the conquest of Europe League. Italy has lost ground due to other countries who started to invest more, becoming stronger. But in Italy we are trying to change, it’s needed.”
Is Juventus part of this change?
“Not just Juventus. The rivalry exists, it is true, but we do not only want to reach Juventus. We want to win against anyone. We want to have a great season. Our expectations are very high, but we need to keep our feet on the ground.”
Juventus will be without Tevez, Vidal, Pirlo… Is it the right time to bridge the gap?
“No. No matter who it is left and who stays. Juventus remains a very strong opponent that must be respected. The important thing is to focus on our work, on how to structure a team that can beat anyone. Juventus will always be strong, but we have to strengthen even more.”
Inter has changed a lot. The team has gained strength and has become more physical. You are left and you are a leader. How do you see this role?
“I grew up in the group, that is true. But I prefer to do my job, to win thanks to my work. It is not correct to talk about leadership. I always want to prove that I can be useful and important for the team. I appreciate those who won with Inter, but I want something more important for the club. I want the headlines.”
Inter has signed Miranda with whom you’ve played in Sao Paulo. Do you think that this will facilitate your return to the national team? He was the team captain for Dunga’s team in the Copa America…
“I believe in my work. If I get a call it is related to the work I do. In my mind I only think about how to improve.”
You come from good seasons in Italy. Meanwhile, however, players who play in China and in other less prestigious championships have been called. Are you annoyed by this?
“Every coach has his own preferences. The player who is in the best time, each with its own characteristics, is called. The biggest challenge is to demonstrate to the coach that I can be the ideal player to be called.”
Source: fcinternews.it
