Former Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo discussed his career and memories of Inter in an interview with Italian media outlet FcInter1908 yesterday.
First, he discussed the ongoing Coronavirus emergency.
“This period allows you to rediscover the beauty of being with your family. I spend my time with my two sons, one 18 and the other 14 years old, and then with little Bianca, born just four months ago.
“Every afternoon, like everyone else, I stay glued to the TV waiting for updates and hoping that good news arrives.”
He then joked about a goal that he reportedly scored against Juventus, although it was claimed by Christian Vieri officially.
“The Juve goal is mine, not Bobo’s. We decided to give it to him because he was competing for the top scorer. He says he touched it, but I don’t think he did. We still talk about it and joke about it together.
“I said to Cuper, don’t try to stop me, coach, if we’re behind, I’ll go up and score! At San Siro everyone was drunk with happiness, I still think back to Scarpini’s scream.”
The 48-year-old Italian spoke about Inter.
“I turned down offers even when I wasn’t playing regularly. I was too close to the Inter colors, I said no to everyone because I knew we would win.
“I don’t want medals, I was too close to Inter. I also refused a lot of money and great teams but I wanted to win with Inter. And so, it was.”
He spoke about Inter’s 3-2 comeback against Sampdoria in 2005.
“That 3-2 in 2005 was a very strange match, total apotheosis. But we played several games attacking deep too late, it wasn’t the right way. It can go well in one game but not for the whole season.”
Toldo discussed former Inter striker Ronaldo.
“An incredible player. I only regretted having him on the team after the injury. He skipped past the man with a disarming ease and asked his team-mates to exchange him in the runs.
“He was successful with everyone except Bobo Vieri. Bobo was also great, but he had a bit of trouble passing the ball!”
He touched on his famously strong performance against Valencia.
“The game against Valencia? If I got angry, it was hard to concede. But they had to anger me. And you know what happens when a good guy gets angry. I was on the right night, I had a real show.”
The 48-year-old revealed a dream that he has once had.
“I dream of Messi to Inter. And every once in a while, Javi Zanetti would talk about it to him. And I think with Moratti it would have been possible. But Messi would never have left Barcelona. It was a bitter thing to have him against us.”
He spoke about the Euro 2000 game against the Netherlands, which Italy won on penalties.
“The referee also favoured them quite a bit. They had set a trap for us. I had already imagined the penalties in my head the night before.
“A friend of mine told me on the phone that I’d cover anything, and I did. With the discs on the computer, I studied the penalty shooters.”
He revealed the belief the Inter squad had in their Treble winning campaign.
“In 2010, we were all convinced that if we made it to the Champions League finals, we would win. We were confident and we were confident with each game more and more. The fans deserved it, I saw true happiness. I still remember the hugs with all my friends, my teammates and my family.”
Toldo revealed that he didn’t had a good relationship with former Inter coach Roberto Mancini.
“I didn’t have a great relationship with him. He questioned me and he’s in. The man always respected me, but we didn’t have a great relationship. I put team and company first. I helped Julio Cesar, we’re still great friends. I have made fair competition.”
He then touched on his positive thoughts of Jose Mourinho.
“Real man. He gets inside you, he’s a psychologist before he’s even a coach. He also gives you unbelievable shots, huh. I don’t think he’ll ever go back to Inter because he wants to keep the memory intact. The rant in Bergamo? But look, there were others. But we knew they weren’t personal rants, they were all well received.
“Many coaches want to copy him. The failure to return to Milan after May 22nd? A player doesn’t know what’s behind it, you mustn’t always judge. Evidently, he had his reasons for doing so.”
The 48-year-old highlighted his positive relationship with former Inter shot stopper Julio Cesar.
“We are great friends him. We have a Treble chat together and I won’t tell you what goes on in that chat! Julio is a great person.”
He discussed which defenders he felt most confident playing behind.
“Which ones did I prefer? Materazzi, Cordoba and Samuel gave me confidence. Lucio? Well, Lucio, when he went on, you had to take him off.”
Finally, Toldo spoke about his future and what that may look like.
“I’ve been at Inter 10 years and they were beautiful years. I don’t think I’m coming back, now I’m enjoying my kids and enjoying my time with my family.
“I met great people at Inter, we developed many social projects. I’ve played, I’ve taken care of Inter Forever and Inter Campus. One thing I miss, the youth sector. Who knows.”
