Former Real Madrid and AS Roma star Julio Baptista laments his ill-fated transfer to Inter Milan, which could have won him the Champions League.
The Brazilian made a name for himself in his home country after rising through the ranks of São Paolo.
In 2003, Sevilla brought him to Europe, where he managed to make waves in Europe. This earned him a dream transfer to Real Madrid in 2005.
The attacking midfielder had his highs and lows in the Spanish capital. His three-year stint included a loan to Arsenal in the 2006/07 campaign.
In the summer of 2008, he was close to joining Inter, but ended up signing for Roma, a path that prevented him from winning major silverware.
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As for Baptista, he could only rue the fact that his negotiations with Inter didn’t come to fruition.
The now-retired star reveals how former Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti and then-manager Jose Mourinho both wanted him at Appiano Gentile.
“We were really close, yes. There was even a call with Moratti,” said ‘The Beast’ in his interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport via FcInterNews.
“Mourinho liked me. Then nothing came of it. Roma offered more money. So Inter went for Sneijder, my former teammate at Real Madrid.”
Julio Baptista Rues His Botched Transfer To Inter Milan
Baptista argues that if he and Sneijder had swapped places, he could have been the one to taste European glory.
“It’s a shame, because maybe between the two of us, I could have won a Champions League.”
Curiously, this wasn’t the only time that the attacking midfielder missed out on a move to a Milanese giants just prior to an UCL triumph.
Baptista also told how close he was to joining the AC Milan side that went on to clinch the Champions League in 2007 under Carlo Ancelotti.
“It was 2007, I’d been coming back from two so-so years between Madrid and London. I knew Milan wanted me.
“In the end, though, they signed Pato, and I went to Roma. And to think that in May of that year they won the Champions League…”
Nevertheless, Baptista still managed to collect some silverware in his career. His cabinet includes two Copa America medals and a LaLiga title.
I agree Baptista would have been a good addition for us, but Sneijder was a match made in heaven in Inter uniform. We were lacking that passing and long shooting which Sneijder came in owned.