Ahead of a meeting between his former clubs, midfielder Walter Gargano spoke of his pride at playing for Inter but admitted his heart belonged to Napoli.
Inter travel to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona tomorrow evening to face the Partenopei, as they seek a 12th consecutive league win to move them closer to the Serie A title.
Looking ahead to the match, the Uruguayan anticipated a tough fixture for Napoli but felt it was important for their Champions League aspirations.
“I think that it will be very tough for Napoli tomorrow evening. But they have to try as it is still possible to qualify for the Champions League, and this is fundamental economically. They will certainly not want to leave anything to chance,” the Penarol midfielder claimed in an interview with Fanpage.it.
Gargano represented Napoli from 2007 to 2015, but spent the 2012-13 season on loan at Inter, and reflected on his past with both clubs, citing his year with the Nerazzurri as a dream come true.
“With the Azzurri I lived some unforgettable years, I hope they can return to the Champions League. I think that any football player has to live for at least a year at Napoli and be able to play in front of those fans. For me it was an impressive experience.
“The loan with the Nerazzurri was the realisation of a dream, because it was the team I always played with as a child on the PlayStation. In the first games the strongest teams were Inter and Real Madrid.
“At Inter then there was [Alvaro] Recoba and therefore I used them often, just as I used Real to use Roberto Carlos and win thanks to his speed. Between the two, however, I will always prefer Napoli,” he concluded.
Gargano scored four goals in 189 appearances for Napoli and featured 28 times during his loan spell at Inter, before joining Mexican club Monterrey and ultimately returning to Uruguay to join Penarol in 2017.