Hernan Crespo has called upon Inter’s players to ‘respect the club’s colours’ as the Nerazzurri prepare to return to Serie A action against Parma this weekend.
Crespo made over 100 appearances in all competitions for Inter during two spells at the club, scoring 45 goals and winning three league titles, but he also spent seven seasons with Saturday’s opponents and was part of the side that won the 1999 UEFA Cup under Alberto Malesani, which remains Parma’s last European title.
“This isn’t a game like all the others for me,” the former striker said in an interview for Inter’s match-day program. “Not at all.
“The first thing that springs to mind is the goal I scored past Gianluca Pagliuca in 1996. I was playing for Parma that day but I remember the stadium: it was beautiful and majestic, with an incredible crowd.
“San Siro thrills you, it makes you raise your game. When I came to play as an opponent for the first time Carlo Ancelotti [Parma’s head coach at the time] told me: ‘Do you realise we’re playing at the Scala del Calcio? Only the great players make the difference here.’
“When you’re playing for Inter you have to know this, you have to understand that you have a big responsibility: the fans want you to respect these colours. In a stadium like this you give everything you have – both for them and for yourself.”
