Former Inter and Roma defender Davide Santon has characterized his time as a Nerazzurri player as a highlight of his career upon announcing his retirement from football.
Speaking to Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, the 31-year-old looked back on his time at Inter as he announced that he has decided to hang up his boots as he feels that injuries and physical problems restrict him from playing.
Santon had two spells as an Inter player, first coming through the club’s academy before leaving in 2011, and then spending three seasons back at the club between 2015 and 2018, after re-joining from Newcastle United.
The 31-year-old joined Roma from the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2018, and spent the rest of his playing career there before making the decision to retire as a number of injuries have mounted up and made continuing to play untenable for him.
“My first period at Inter was a highlight,” he said, “when we won everything. I had to miss some time with injuries, but it was beautiful – I was so young and I didn’t realize we were making history.”
“We only lost the European Super Cup,” he noted, “it was the best moment. I shared the locker room with some absolutely extraordinary, world-class players.”
Santon then reflected on some of the coaches who helped him grow, naming “Mourinho, Benitez, Leonardo, Gasperini, Mancini, Conte who called me up for the national team, Pioli, Spalletti, Pardew, De Boer, Fonseca, Di Francesco, Ranieri.”
“And I can’t forget the influence of those years spent in Inter’s academy of course,” he added.
Santon then noted that “It was under Mourinho that I experienced the period of greatest glory, but he was not among the most calm coaches that I’ve had. I was young, there was a lot of pressure in the environment. When you have to win, it’s right to be that way.”
