It’s another Friday and another appointment with Prima Serata on Inter Channel: Gaby Mudingayi will be hosted in the studio by Roberto Scarpini.
Many topics were discussed by the Nerazzurri midfielder, who needed little time to be completely won over by Inter, to whom he said yes without a second’s hesitation. “How could it have gone any differently? [smiling] A team like Inter is a dream. I remember in the summer when people started talking about Inter’s interest in me, I had no doubts… Fiorentina? My agent had received interest from them, but compared to Inter… I like everything about Inter, there’s nothing I dislike. I arrived here late? Better late than never. I’ve always worked hard to play at a great team like Inter and now all my sacrifices have paid off.”
“My personal goal is to stay here for a long time. Once you get to a big stage like this one it can’t be any different. I’m here to give my all and show what I’m worth. Commitment will never be lacking on my part. I thank the club and the coach, who wanted me here. I’ll give everything for this shirt. I like to work hard for the team, for the group. I’m someone who always fights, and I’ll always honour this shirt.”
September 2006, AC Milan v Lazio: Gaby Mudingayi’s first game at the San Siro. Back then he was wearing the colours of Lazio. Sitting in the Inter Channel studio, he smiled as images of the match were shown on the screen during his interview for Prima Serata. He recalled: “That was an incredible moment, I’ll never forget it. San Siro strikes fear into you when you go there as the opposition team. There’s nothing quite like San Siro – it makes me proud to think it’s my stadium now.”
Mudingayi also spoke about his childhood, when he would play football anywhere he could, and revealed: “I didn’t have any idols as such, just lots of players I tried to copy. For example I used to watch Makelele a lot, he was a player I liked, a real gritty character.” The midfielder also discussed the beginnings of his career at Saint Gilloise, just outside Brussels, and Gent, before he made the switch to Italy. “My parents still live in Belgium and so do my parents-in-law. It’s my homeland. I even met my wife there, although – incredibly – she’s Italian!”
Gaby received phone calls from two of his former team-mates, who also happen to be ex-Nerazzurri players. Marco Ferrante: “When we were at Torino together Gaby was an up-and-coming youngster who would never let up for a second. A thoroughbred, a ballwinner who was useful on the ball too, a genuine all-round talent.” And Ousmane Dabo: “We made for a tough pair of customers together, me and Gaby. He’s a force of nature and he’s got all the ability he needs to be a first-choice player at Inter.” Afterwards Mudingayi said: “They were important team-mates for me, at Torino and Lazio. They were always there for me and helped me a lot from day one.” He also shared a few memories from his time at Bologna when another former team-mate, Francesco Antonioli, called in.
“He knows what he wants, he’s got a clear idea in his head and he’s very good. I’m happy to be working with a coach like him.” That’s how Gaby Mudingayi described Andrea Stramaccioni to Roberto Scarpini.
The Belgian went on to talk about his team-mates, and Antonio Cassano in particular: “From the outside, when you think about the world-class players we have at Inter, you might expect them to act superior but it’s not like that at all. From the moment I arrived they’ve helped me loads. I was really surprised by the down-to-earth way they go about things and train every day. It’s a fantastic group. Cassano? A superb player, everyone knows that. And I like him a lot as a person too. He’s someone who says things exactly as they are. I get on really well with him.”
Finally, there was a word on the Europa League, which Mudignayi feels is important because “a team like Inter aims to go all the way in every competition. We’ll try to win all our games, and not only in the Europa League.”
Source: inter.it
