Former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga discussed his career and time with Inter in an interview in the print edition of the Italian magazine Sportweek, published by Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I never get tired of talking about Inter, I was already a Nerazzurri fan from the age of three. Although my father was a Juventus fan, he took me to the San Siro to see Inter vs Brescia, it finished 7-0.
“Among all those goals I was impressed by Brotto, the opposing goalkeeper, wearing a black jersey with an enormous white V. I was first a supporter, then a child, then a ball boy, I got a 1000 lire per game and chose the opposite goal to see the whole pitch, and after that I still had to cultivate my passion.”
He then further spoke about his passion for the Nerazzurri and his favourite victory parade.
“The Inter clause? A legend, not true, I only said it out of love for the team that has been my life for 23 years. My favourite save? The UEFA Cup final one against Salzburg, the last one with Inter. I knew it was the last one, it had to be the perfect finale of my time with Inter, I did nothing wrong and I’m proud of it.”
The 59-year-old Italian discussed how he was close to leaving the Nerazzurri in 1987, before the deal eventually collapsed.
“In June 1987 it was all done with Napoli. The newspapers were constantly saying ‘Zenga to Napoli, Giuliani to Inter’. Despite the fact that the negotiations were over, it was hell for me. The criticism from the Curva Nord was harsh, every shot for 3-4 months was a goal.
“Despite the pressure in December, I signed a contract renewal with Cesare Viganò and Franco Maggiorelli the day before the derby, which we lost due to an own goal by Ferri.”
Zenga spoke about the final years of his career and his disappointing return to Inter.
“No one has ever said before today that I could have come back. After doing well at Sampdoria I could have been the backup for Pagliuca for a year before joining the club’s management.
“I talked to Moratti and Mazzola, I went first to Padova and then to the United States, so I really came back to Inter as an image man for TV and marketing, but only for a few months. It was a role that I didn’t feel was mine.”
He touched on Arrigo Sacchi’s decision to remove him from the national team setup.
“Then Arrigo made a choice that today, as a coach, I understand and share, it’s because of him that I’m still known as Spider-Man, even if for me the nickname of Gianni Brera, Hang glider, is worth more.
“The journalist who told me the best thing, however, was Franco Rossi from il Giorno: “I don’t know if you are the phenomenon of the poor or the scarce of phenomena.”
Finally, he discussed his brief time in charge of Cagliari this season, before the Coronavirus pandemic forced Italian football to totally stop.
“It is wrong in my opinion to have prejudices and positions before knowing something. These days I hear people say things like ‘You can’t and shouldn’t play’ due to the coronavirus, wouldn’t it be better to say ‘Let’s see what happens, but are we there?’
“It would certainly send a better message. I’m back in Italy and I’ll be the coach of Cagliari, I haven’t lost anything this season despite the suspension. I’ve already prepared everything, from training at a distance to managing the matches in July and August.”
Zenga spent the first 16 years of his career in Milan with Inter, quickly becoming a fan favourite. The Italian made 473 appearances across all competitions for the Nerazzurri in that time, keeping 194 clean sheets and conceding 424 goals.
