Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan spoke to Italian broadcaster Dazn the day before Inter’s big game against Juventus at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
“It has always been a special match for me because they were interested in me in the past, but nothing came of that. I prefer to challenge the strongest teams and try to win against them, that is something that has always been on my mind.”
“Juventus are the team to beat and they’ve been that way for many years. I think any team would want to beat them, but for us it is an especially important match for the standings. They have already won the league but this changes nothing for us because the important thing is to win to achieve our goal.”
The Belgian then went on to talk about his first goal for Inter in Bologna, a goal which he celebrated with a bow to the fans.
“It just came to me instinctively. People were expecting a lot from me. I got injured in the training camp and had to skip the training, but I couldn’t wait to start playing. Scoring goals at the start was a way of saying ‘Here I am.’ It went a little differently from what I expected because I got hurt after two more games and had to start over again.”
“The important thing for us is to achieve our target because I think we’ve had a very strong journey with some difficulties and episodes that have hurt everyone. I hope that I will not have anymore injuries and can physically improve to always be at the top and show everyone the best Nainggolan.”
He then went on to discuss what was missing this season.
“We lacked a bit of maturity. The last game of the Champions League was a big disappointment because we had a chance to go forward. Then there were a couple of negative results, we need more maturity to immediately reverse the negative streak and recover.”
“I want to win, even if it seems strange because I have never won. I have always wanted to win something, that is a personal challenge for myself. There was a time when the fans were used to winning, we must go back to being the team that makes everyone in the world talk about us.”
Nainggolan spoke about his relationship with the new Inter captain, Samir Handanovic.
“He is a great professional, he trains hard, and he studies a lot. He communicates a lot, he says what he thinks and that is something I like. He is very honest.”
The midfielder was then asked about Nicolo Barella, a player with whom he shares the same agent, Alessandro Beltrami.
“I especially like the way he plays, because he always gives his best. Maybe he doesn’t score many goals or get many assists, but he makes other players play better and that is the most important thing. Me and him playing together? Why not.”
He finishes off the interview by talking about one of his friends that he is about to face, Pjanic.
“He’s like a member of the family, no matter what time or day, I feel close to him. He is an important person and we have always been together”
