Inter defender Milan Skriniar has discussed the situation that he and footballers across Europe currently find themselves in as a result of the global Coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a tough time for everyone, but we must all fight together, together as a team. We all miss football, both the players and the fans miss it,” he admitted as part of a question and answer session which was aired live on Inter’s official Twitter profile earlier on today.
“However, when all of this is over, it will make it even nicer to go back to training and playing in front of our crowds. Difficult situations do this, they force you to be more united.
“Fighting this virus is the most important thing for now. Of course, we’re used to going to Appiano Gentile to train every day and now we’re locked in, it’s a new situation, but we must do it, everyone has to.”
He then spoke on how he has been spending his days whilst stuck in quarantine and gave his thoughts on the phenomenon of people singing from their homes with tonnes of video popping up online of people joining together in song.
“We have some recommendations from the staff, so we follow them carefully to train and stay fit, but obviously it isn’t easy. When I’m not doing that, I’m with my girlfriend and our dogs, we watch TV and play darts. In the evening, I hear people singing from the balcony: it’s beautiful and very emotional.”
He then spoke on his relationship with his teammates and how he gets on best with.
“The Nerazzurri group is very united, both on and off the field as Skriniar explains: “We spend a lot of time together, even after training. I get along well with everyone, but if I had to choose one, I’d say Bastoni. Handanovic? He’s an incredible professional, a great captain and a top bloke.”
The Slovakian then touched upon how it felt to be named Inter captain in the recent match against Udinese.
“It was a great feeling; wearing the captain’s armband give you a lot of responsibility, it encourages you to give even more and to do your best.”
Next he want on to reminisce about the early days of his playing career when he was back in Slovakia.
“I used to play for a team in Slovakia, and every once in a while I would play with the first team.
“It was a cool feeling to train with the older guys, I was only 16 and had a lot to learn. My professional debut came when I was 17: it was in the Slovakian league and I played all 90 minutes, it finished 0-0. What position was I? Well, back then it was a bit different, I was a midfielder.”
Skriniar then went on to discuss why he wears the number 37 shirt.
“Why do I wear the no.37 shirt? In Slovakia I wore no.3, and I also liked 17 but when I arrived at Sampdoria they were both taken. So, I decided to mix the two and made 37, now it’s my number and I like it!”
Next he spoke on his move from Sampdoria to Inter in the Summer of 2018.
“As soon as I heard rumours during the U21 European Championship I was flattered. Accepting Inter was an easy choice and I didn’t have to think twice about it.
“Everything here is great, from the training ground to everything else, but the most exciting thing is playing at San Siro in front of all our fans because it’s always full.”
He then went on to discuss some of his favourites from Inter’s past and some of his current favourite players.
“If I had to choose one Nerazzurri defender who I’ve always admired, I’d say Walter Samuel: he was strong and always made the difference.
“My favourite player? Without doubt Ronaldo, El Fenomeno, I adored him and he was my idol. Today there are some great attackers like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappé. In the #DerbyMilano it was great to face up against Ibrahimovic, who has great experience.
“Who are the defenders I like? I’d say Sergio Ramos, he’s been a great leader for many years, Van Dijk and Koulibaly.”
In conclusion he gave some advice to Inter fans: “To reach your goals you have to work every day to improve. Hard work is the key, as well as making the sacrifices that this life entails, such as staying away from friends and family. But it’s all part of the game.”