Legendary former Nerazzurri President Massimo Moratti feels that being in charge of Inter Milan was always a privilege for him.

Speaking at a University address reported by the Corriere della Sera, via FCInterNews, the former Nerazzurri President also looked back on the club’s major sporting rivalry with Juventus.

Moratti enjoyed nearly two decades in charge of Inter.

He took over as Chairman of the club from Ernesto Pellegrini in 1995. His reign lasted until 2013, when he sold a controlling share in the Nerazzurri to Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir.

Moratti had ups and d0wns during his time in charge. However, the former did seem to outweigh the latter, particularly over the second half of his reign.

It was Moratti who guided the Nerazzurri to the European Treble during the 2009-10 season. This capped off an era in which Inter had been the dominant force within Italian football.

Inter’s fortunes changed not long after that. Moratti seemed to see the writing on the wall and recognized that changing conditions in Italian football meant that it was time for a changing of the guard.

However, for his part, the former President looks back on it all as a great honour and something he was lucky to have.

Massimo Moratti Looks Back On Time In Charge Of Inter Milan

“Becoming president of Inter was not an act of generosity at the beginning,” Moratti said.

“In the end, however, I can say that I understood what it means to invest in football.”

“Every difficulty I encountered gave me experience in return,” he continued. “It taught me how to face life. To win and lose.”

“To go from heaven to hell in an instant,” Moratti noted. “It taught me patience.”

“Being President of Inter was a privilege, never a burden.”

Moratti noted that “I also learned about war from football. We had a war with Juventus.”

“It was limited to a sporting war, but still…” he added.