Inter wing-back Achraf Hakimi insists he has happy at the club and is optimistic for a project under coach Antonio Conte.
The Morocco international joined the Nerazzurri from Real Madrid last summer and has enjoyed a fine debut campaign, culminating in helping Inter win a first Scudetto in 11 years.
In an interview published in today’s magazine edition of Sportweek, Hakimi revealed that it was the influence of the coach that had convinced him to make the switch to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
“The ambition, the club’s project and Conte’s words in our first phone call convinced me. He called to tell me he wanted me,” Hakimi claimed.
“Firstly he asked me what I saw and wanted in my future, then he explained to me how we would play, what my role would be in the five between defence and midfield and why it would be decisive in his idea of aggressive football.
“He made me feel important. Then he also said we would win. We talked a lot and, seeing how it went, I can say that I made the right choice. But I was convinced immediately.”
Hakimi also explained how Conte’s impact had helped Inter enjoy success this season, whilst assessing the coach’s famed determined personality.
“He brings everything out of the players. He helped me a lot. He was the first coach that I have played in a five-man defence under. He taught me to think not only about attack but also about defence, with him I learned an aspect of the game that I was not familiar with.
“I don’t know if he can be defined as a hammer! I know he likes us to assimilate what he tells us well. He likes to work on the details. That’s good, because it becomes easier for us players in the game. There are no surprises, because we have already prepared all the situations we may face in training.”
The 22-year-old insisted that there was no particular moment through the season in which he realised that Inter would go on to win the Scudetto, but felt that January’s win over Juventus and the victory over AC Milan the following month were decisive.
“There wasn’t a particular match, but when we went out of the Champions League we said to ourselves that we couldn’t let the title slip away.
“The victory over Juve at the San Siro one month after being eliminated from the Champions League was important. But there are three moments that sum up our season. Going out of European, the success against Juve and in the second derby that allowed us to move clear of Milan by four points.”
Hakimi spent last season on loan at German club Borussia Dortmund from Real Madrid, and assessed the differences between the Bundesliga and Serie A.
“The Bundesliga is more attacking, you run back and forth between one goal and another. Italian football is more defensive, tactical, the teams are always compact. I had to figure out how to hurt an opponent who does not allow you space, and, as I said, I had to work on the defensive part of my game. I have grown a lot.
“In this past year I have improved a lot, I consider myself more mature.”
Hakimi also revealed how impressed he had been with his new teammates upon joining Inter, with Italian pair Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni coming in for particular attention.
“For the way he plays and the spirit he shows, I really like Barella. He always goes forward, he has passion and heart. Another is Bastoni, for the calmness of his game and his quality on the ball. It’s remarkable when you think about it, considering his role in defence and how young he is.
“[Stefano] Sensi makes me laugh the most. I have a lot of fun with him. I don’t know how [Romelu] Lukaku is strong, it’s nature. He has this strength, this power, and it’s a staple of our team. Lautaro [Martinez] makes difficult things easy. On the pitch this makes the difference.”
The wing-back has emerged as a key attacking threat for Inter after providing seven goals and eight assists, and admitted he wasn’t expecting such an impact in his first year at the club.
“I wasn’t expecting to do so well in my debut year in a new style of football. I thought I would need more time. Even the others thought that I would struggle to adapt to a type of play that is not as attacking as in Germany. Now I can say that I am happy with the season I have done, but I would like to reach ten goals and ten assists.”
Inter were the last Italian team to win a European competition after lifting the Champions League in 2010, and Hakimi offered some insight into why Serie A clubs have struggled in continental football.
“At this moment the clubs have problems, the players come and go, the important thing is to begin a cycle of success, because in this way we lay the foundations for the future. This is what Inter have done.
“Here there is a project that begins with the arrival of Conte and young players. If it continues, we will be able to start a period of success that will lead us to dominate in Italy and in Europe. We have already changed our mentality, the title we won has made us stronger.”
Hakimi grew up in Madrid and reflected on his footballing upbringing, whilst insisting his family were happy and settled in Milan.
“I am very happy to be here, and my wife and my son Amin are happy to live in Milan. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but now I am fine here and I hope to continue playing and winning for a long time to come.
“Mum is always mum, but the title is also for my father who accompanied me to training, even very far from home. They supported my dream of being a footballer, they were close to me in moments of joy and in those of bitterness. This is why it is right that today I repay them for what they have given me
“I played on the street in the barrio, the neighbourhood of Madrid, where I lived. Everyone liked football there. I started seriously in the local club of my neighbourhood.
“I listen to English, Spanish, even Italian music. I like Ghali, Toni Effe, Capoplaza. Essentially, rap and trap. Then I play the PlayStation: FIFA or Warzone. I built my own team on FIFA and I’m the first player I sign.”
Despite coming through the Real Madrid academy with Milan full-back Theo Hernandez, Hakimi insisted that they had never raced each other to determine the quickest.
“No, no. He is very quick, but it never occurred to us to challenge each other. Sometimes we met, here in Milan. On the pitch we are opponents, off it we are friends. We have known each other for a long time.
“I like that people who understand football appreciate my game. I don’t have to say if I’m the best, I don’t even care,” Hakimi concluded.
