Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan spoke in great length with Gazzetta dello Sport on this Sunday’s Milan derby among other topics.
“It’s good to prepare for all matches in the same way, but I’m curious for my first Milan derby. These are the games I like, the ones where you already know what you’re playing for. Here some fans stop me and say: ‘oh, try to win on Sunday’, but it’s all much calmer. In Rome I had teammates who were constantly firing me up, and if you lost they remembered it two months later
“Spalletti constantly repeats that the two matches against Milan are a league unto themselves and I’m sure the roar will be impressive at the stadium. Six victories in a row also gives us confidence, Inter is worth a lot but we still need to improve. For example, we need to suffer less when winning. Suffering to win can be beautiful, wins like the one against SPAL mean a lot, but every now and then you want a big win.
“Are we better than Milan? We have a lot of players of the highest level, but I’ve seen Milan in the last few games and they’re a strong team that will make us sweat.
“I told a friend that if we lost both derbies but we make it to the Champions League and Milan finish fifth, I’d take it.”
Nainggolan then weighed in on the belief many hold that the game will be decided by the performances of Inter striker Mauro Icardi and Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain.
“Pipita moves around the pitch more and for his teammates, but I’d keep Mauro. If you give him half a chance in the box he’ll score, he lives for that.”
Nainggolan ditched his iconic mohican hairstyle when joining the club and has admitted that it is gone forever.
“My mohican? Enough, I’m 30 now and you won’t see it anymore. I kept it for a long time though, and I’m glad children copied my hairstyle.”
The Belgian also spoke on his exit from Roma in the summer.
“They did things without telling me anything, rather than talking face-to-face like men. Roma wanted to cash in on my transfer, I found out that they’d agreed with foreign clubs that I’d never accept. I was treated like an unimportant player, they did things behind my back.
“At that point Spalletti called me and I didn’t think for long. At first I had regret, but I’ve been welcomed very well here. I’ve found a very well-organised club here, they know what they’re doing and everyone is always present. Steven Zhang is always here, whereas at Roma the President James Pallotta visits once a year.”
His hatred for Juventus is very well known and he discussed the origins of his hate.
“They’re strong, they’ve been winning for seven years, but it’s a long season and there haven’t been many head-to-head matches so far. We’ll need to be good to stay on their tail and lose as few matches as possible, so we can be ready to take advantage of their slip-ups. Why the antipathy? I’ve suffered so many times that at a certain point you just can’t take it anymore.”
Due to the number four shirt being retired in tribute to Javier Zanetti, Nainggolan was unable to select it but it didn’t stop him from trying to get it he revealed.
“I made a joke to Zanetti about it but he did not answer.”
Many media reports have called Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella the heir to Nainggolan and he spoke on the comparison.
“I see myself in so many things he does.”
The 30-year-old concluded the interview by speaking on how long he may stay with the club.
“Will Inter be my last team? It could be. Not least because I won’t play for long.”
