Former Inter star Nicola Berti believes that current player Nicolo Barella is amongst the best midfielders in Europe and worth double what the Nerazzurri paid for him.
Barella has caught the eye with his recent form, culminating in him scoring a curling effort from outside the box in Friday’s 2-0 victory over Fiorentina to send Inter top of the Serie A table.
The 24-year-old was signed from hometown club Cagliari last summer for €45 million, after a season on loan at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, and Berti believes that Barella’s development would make his price tag double that amount now.
“He is feisty, recovers the ball well, scored and assists. Pay attention, when Barella moves the ball then a goal comes, it’s not a question of luck but of being a champion,” Berti said of Barella in an interview published in today’s newspaper edition of Tuttosport.
“I 100% see him as the future captain of Inter, for all of those attributes just mentioned. He is the best Italian midfielder, although these days with so many foreigners in Serie A there is less competition.
“Having said that, if you are the strongest midfielder in Italy then you are also amongst the best in Europe. I would say that Barella is amongst the top three midfielders in Europe at the moment precisely because I don’t want to exalt him too much. He remains extremely strong.”
Berti scored 29 goals in 229 appearances for Inter from 1988 to 1998 before joining Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The former Italy international lifted the Scudetto and the UEFA Cup twice during his stint with the Nerazzurri.