Inter Milan midfield stalwart Nicolo Barella had endured a stuttering start to the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto-winning campaign last term.
During an interview that will go live on the radio host’s YouTube and Spotify channels on October 17, as reported by FCInterNews, the diminutive midfielder talked about his struggle at the start of 2023/24.
Nicolo Barella has been an omnipresent figure for Inter since he arrived at Giuseppe Meazza from Cagliari in 2019.
Widely considered among Europe’s best players in his position, the 27-year-old has been instrumental to Inter’s success in recent years.
He was the cornerstone of Antonio Conte’s midfield, inspiring the Nerazzurri to a long-awaited Scudetto in 2020/21.
In addition to helping Inter end a ten-year title drought in Serie A, Barella has won five other domestic titles at Meazza.
After winning back-to-back Coppa Italia trophies and three successive Supercoppa Italiana titles, Barella ascended the Serie A throne again last season.
However, the beginning of the campaign was stressful for the Italy international.
Inter Milan Superstar Nicolo Barella Opens Up On Difficult Start To Scudetto Winning Campaign
“It happened in the year of the Scudetto when everyone criticized me at the beginning of the season, saying that I was not the usual Barella,” he said.
“I lost the final of the European Under-19 Championship. I had to give up a World Cup with the national team’s youth team because I broke my hand and my teammates finished third.
“Then I was relegated to Cagliari. I lost a Champions League final and lost a Europa League final: I know what it means to lose.
“On the other hand, I won championships, Coppa Italia, Super Cup, European Championship…
“It’s easier to explain what it means to win because you see that I’m exploding with joy.
“Losing you don’t know what it can entail later, maybe a bad summer, and it happened to me.
“It leads you to say: ‘Will I play in a Champions League final again?’ I don’t like losing. I would have liked to win all the finals I played, but it’s an incentive to try again the following year.
“The head of many does not work like that.”