Former Inter dircetor Ernesto Paolillo has spoken on former Inter president and owner Massimo Moratti, and what winning the Champions League as part of Inter’s historic treble winning season meant to Moratti.
“First of all the president dreamed of and wanted the Champions League because in those years he had already won some Scudetto,” Paolillo remarked in an interview with Italian news outlet PassioneInter.com.
“The dream of winning the treble only came in the few months before it happened but the big dream was always the Champions League.
“There was a firm determination that it could be achieved with a great manager. Moratti was determined to see the team go all the way that year and in my opinion this determination helped in other competitions too because the team was good at staying focused.
“The president, who knows how to use both the stick and carrot well, also knew how to convey the great desire that the team needed. As I was close to him, there were some moments where he was tense but he was good at hiding it.
“Despite this, he was good at conveying peace of mind to the team and autonomy to the manager, who was extremely free to do what he wanted. Everyone wanted to do their best not to achieve the goal for themselves but for the president, who deserved it.”
Paolillo then went on to share his belief that Lionel Messi could end up at Inter in the future.
“Could he arrive? Theoretically yes. Let’s not forget how and why Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Italy. Whether right or wrong that it is, the tax legislation present today favours the arrival of players who have certain economic and brand interests.
“They have incredible tax breaks, and therefore a great player can take advantage of this legislation. So just how Ronaldo arrived, Messi can arrive too.”
He was then asked whether he thinks any of Inter’s current squad would have been able to play in Inter’s treble winning side.
“Each team has its time and its players, prepared for the type of football present at that time. It is therefore difficult to answer this question. Personally, I think that precisely because of the type of athlete Lukaku is, he probably could have played alongside one of Eto’o and Milito, although they were a formidable partnership.”
He then went on to discuss the continued speculation relating to Lautaro Martinez’s future with Inter as he continues to be linked with a potential move to La Liga powershouses Barcelona.
“I believe that to make a great winning team you need to have all the departments complete. Thinking about sacrificing Lautaro Martinez hurts, because he is a great player who can still grow a lot.
“However, if that can be used to complete the team in other departments, his departure will be welcome. The right price? Given his age and the value that the player already boasts today, I would say he is worth €120 million upward.”
In conclusion he was asked which player he would like to see Inter bring to the club in the coming months.
“Let’s see…if I had to buy a player for Inter, I would take a young German, who plays for RB Leipzig, who is scoring tonnes of goals, you know who he is.
“Anyway, I will tell you something, Inter are lucky to have stable, secure and strong owners in Suning and a president like Zhang and two great directors in Marotta and Antonello, who know how to do the best for the club.
“This is the biggest peace of mind that we fans can have.”
Paolillo joined Inter back in the Summer of 2006 and took over from Mauro Gambaro and spent just over six years with the club.
