As part of a long interview with Radio Nerazzurra, former Inter defender Christian Chivu spoke on Inter’s start to the season and recalled several moments from his own Inter career.
“Inter have started the season positively. The four wins from four will breed confidence and awareness of the work done so far. There are the right conditions in place to have a great season.
“The work culture is fundamental, then the conviction counts too. When the boys believe in the coach’s proposal, it is good, probably with Mourinho it was the same, but there was the conviction of being strong, we came from winning seasons. When you are on the road to victory there is more awareness. Today it is more difficult because for some years Inter has not won titles. This is why work culture is fundamental.”
He also spoke on the huge growth of Marcelo Brozovic in recent seasons.
“He arrived very young in an environment where things were not going as planned. Luciano Spalletti gave Brozovic the right conditions to express himself best and gave him confidence. With the growth of his self-esteem, everything has become simpler and today he is a great player.”
Chivu then explained how he ended up at Inter.
“Roma didn’t want to sell me to Inter, I only had a year left on my contract. After the Coppa Italia final won against Inter, I talked to the club asking them to go to Inter in the event of a sale. Mancini wanted me and I was very clear with Roma and told them to find an agreement with Inter.
“After a few weeks they phoned me while I was on vacation telling me to go to Madrid because there was an agreement with Real but my intentions were clear. I didn’t want to leave Italy without winning the Scudetto. The Italian Cup wasn’t enough, I wanted the Scudetto and I thought that only Inter could give me this dream. President Moratti was convincing and in the end I got to Inter.
He then recalled the fears he had soon after his head injury which meant he had to play out the remainder of his career with a skull cap on for protection.
“I was afraid I couldn’t play with my daughter Natalia, who was 11 months old at the time. I was scared after waking up after the surgery but everything went well and five months later we won the treble. It was not easy to return to the field but I have to thank the club, the president and my teammates who all gave me so much support.
“Jose Mourinho called me every night at the beginning and told me to stay calm. His words gave me the desire to get back as quick as possible.
“I remember playing against Roma and froze when a cross came in. I was scared and I went to the doctor who told me that it was normal and that everything would pass with time. Over the next few months, I felt a lot of shock when heading the ball.”
He concluded on speaking on the lead up to Inter winning the Champions League and winning it.
“Two weeks before the final, Mourinho told me I would not start against Siena as I would be playing in the Champions League final. He told me I had to get mentally prepared as I would be up against Arjen Robben.
“I think all of those involved in the Nerazzurri project deserved to win, it was a strong group, particularly from the character point of view.”
