Inter defender Andrea Ranocchia has said that being part of the Inter squad means you are a player of a high level even if you do not play often, according to a report in the Italian media today.
Speaking during an interview with Assocalciatori.it for the Ball and Surroundings section, via FCInternews, Andrea Ranocchia explained the way players like him who are not starting every week must view their status and importance to the team.
“Being at Inter means that you have to be at a high level, otherwise you could not stay there. The fundamental point is and remains the fact that no one gives anything and therefore whoever gets to Inter, Juve, Milan etc, it means that he deserves it, that he is strong and this is regardless of whether you play 60 or 5 games.
“You must still be functional and useful, otherwise you don’t get to stay, right? And there are levels, of course, but those who arrive at the top deserve it. No one gives you anything.”
Andrea Ranocchia also talked about the various clubs and levels he has played up that led to him winning a Scudetto with Inter last season.
“There are those who have great talent who perhaps start immediately at a high level. Not me, I have done all the categories, C and B and even in Serie A. I started from Bari, then moved on to Genoa and finally get to Inter.
“For me it was a very, very useful apprenticeship, I don’t forget the C, the 700 km by bus to go to the games, on fields that were certainly not suitable to play football: everything was very informative.”
The defender says that his time at Arezzo was when he realised he could make it to a high level.
“In Arezzo, the first year of Serie B with Conte. It was in the Spring, even training with the first team seemed like a lot already and I did everything to be there with them, even though I understood that it would take me some time, that I had to grow.”
The Italian spent a short amount of time playing in England with Hull City and he clearly leanred a lot whilst in the Premier League
“The experience I had in England, with Hull City, in 2017 was really useful to me. In this way I had the opportunity to experience different football, training sessions, weeks, even matches. It was beautiful and formative for me, which allowed me to see things in a different way, with more awareness.”
Andrea Ranocchia thinks that football was a lot simpler and easier for players to navigate befroe social media came along.
“Before social media, like all the rest, football was less exasperated, I think there was more space for emotions. Now there is a whole other speed, everything is emphasised, there’s fake news from sources that do not exist and everything is more complicated and exasperated than before and it is not – I repeat – only in football.”
