The Italian Cup Final. The Italian Cup Final, that went well, didn't it? It did for you! Are we shooting already? I don't remember, and I was asked about this a few minutes ago, the first time we actually met. Because I think we played against each other in the Under 19, you played for AC Milan U19, for sure. For sure. And I was at Perugia U19. Perugia? Yes, and Di Gennaro was there with you, can that be possible? Yes. That means we played against each other. That's my first memory of you. And y
ou were a central midfielder, right? I was a central midfielder. Then we met again a few years later when you were at Palermo. I was at Palermo. And you were at Inter. And we played against each other, in the League and the Italian Cup Final. That final went well...didn't it? For you guys it did. Then we met again after many years in the National Squad, where you nicked my spot, do you remember that? That's true, we met on several occasions. And then against Manchester United. The first time the
re was, I think straight after you signed with them and your first match was at the Old Trafford. I debuted at the Old Trafford. I travelled from here, the journey was incredible because I had to get to Hull quickly as the transfer window was about to end. After three days, I went there to the Old Trafford and played there. How did you find it in England? I liked it, it was a good experience, You know, it was a huge step for me, I was at Torino and entering such a structured Club is never easy,
add to that the different culture... but to be honest it was a very constructive experience. Could you speak English at the time? A bit from learning it in school, then I took a couple of lessons, it was difficult to be consistent considering the other activities, but after four years of listening... You must be perfect now! Perfect is a bit exaggerated but ... You can speak it fluently, can't you? For sure, I make myself understood and vice versa. I've been taking English lessons for a year now
. You could get by as well, couldn't you? Yes, but you have to think that when I played there I lived in Yorkshire. The accent, well... I couldn't understand anything. It sounded like Arabic to me. It was a struggle at the start. Abel Hernández was there luckily, he could speak Italian and helped me, but it was so hard. I can imagine. Hull City was full of English players as well. Three were from Scotland, Robertson, then there was Maguire from Birmingham, another difficult accent. It was a nice
experience though. Really nice. Life however was a bit harder. Off the pitch you know, it's all a bit different compared to Italy, I was alone with just my wife and ... You had no kids yet, did you? No, we got a dog. The Queen's dog. It was like a first child. This tall... We settled in quite well, especially in the first years. Who was the manager back then? The first one you met? The first one was Van Gaal. Legend. What was he like?? He was really good, he had an obsession for the rules, defi
nitely. We had to go for lunch at a certain time, and only one table at a time. I remember it, Stefan said that too about these fixations of his. A person very respectful of the rules, but he was like that on the pitch too. He was really good. He only did one year, he was fired but we won the FA Cup, then Mourinho came, since my second season, and I did two and half years under his guidance. When I played against you I remember there was Mourinho, there was Ibra too, that bicycle kick he did, th
ere's a picture of it. Do you remember that photo of the bicycle kick I had his foot right here, I feared for my life there! Another thing of course - Man UTD one of the biggest Clubs in the world - I remember the most impressive thing ever, in my second game, against Liverpool, there was Niasse, our forward, it was 11 am, we had lunch, the kickoff was at 3 pm, well, Niasse had two sandwiches with butter and Nutella, and a cappuccino. I mean at 11 am? In Italy it's almost illegal. Any coach woul
d go mental if you did that in Italy. He would eat and eat, I thought 'How can he manage to play?' It seemed he could run twice as fast as well. He did a brace, we won 2 -1 against Liverpool, I mean, it was Klopp's first year I think. So impressive, was it the same over there at Man United? It was a bit more strict. But as you said yourself from what you saw at Hull, yes it was bit more relaxed, a bit less focused on this matter, let's say. Another thing I've always wandered about is that at Hul
l if you happened to win it was great, if you lost you kind of expected it. Was there more pressure at Man Utd, I actually didn't feel much pressure in England. To be honest I must say it was the same for me too, I never felt much pressure, even if I was representing a historical Club. But I I must say that pressure isn't as strong as it may be here in Italy. To be frank I've noticed that too. On one hand it's a positive thing, I mean you have to see the two sides of the coins, it's a positive t
hing as it gives you that serenity and allows you to stay calm, on the other hand maybe, instead it's too much and you actually need that pinch of pressure to do well. True. I was warned straight away of tabloids and how much they look for scoops and gossips. That would have been the cherry on the cake... I don't even understand what's being said to me... never mind gossips and all! I actually really liked the facilities and the grounds there, there were families, everyone would be at the stadiu
m, before and after the match. I would walk to the stadium, Man Utd's history is very unique, but still... Who was there? In the dressing room, Giggs or people like that were still there? There was Giggs the first year. What was he like? He's a really good person. Then he left shortly after. Then since the second year of Mourinho in charge, when Carrick retired, and joined Mourinho in the technical staff... The experience in England was huge, for you, at Manchester United even more I can imagine
. And now at Inter... as I always say and will never stop saying it, you are the golden boy for me, if only there was a chance to have 11 players like yourself! You always play well, always do things right, whichever position you are on, like I used to do a few years back, when they'd put me forward, but you always manage to do well, and deserve all my respect, for the person you are and for the player you are, for your intelligence and unfortunately some people are realizing this only now. Mayb
e it wasn't that obvious when you started, but later you've conquered everyone's hearts. A compliment between us two, as friends. You know, on my side I've always believed in myself, in my qualities and what I could do and achieve for the team, I'm the first when it comes to talk about me as player that draws the attention of the fans from the start, I'm not one that does wonderful plays. But I always try to... ...you know there are certain things under your responsibility during a game, you hav
e to make choices, technical and tactical, it's not easy as there's no much time. I always try to do the right thing in the right moment and to give my all. I hope and I think this is what people appreciated in me. It's difficult also to grow as a player according to the roles assigned throughout the career, from the academies - I was a forward back then, with time I went further and further back on the pitch, almost in goal. You have changed many roles, haven't you? You started as a midfielder,
then wingback, then in defence, then central midfielder, you've done it all. As you said, you started off as a forward, when I was very little I used to play as a CF, so maybe little by little I was moved further back. Yes, me too, on the side as well, out of the pitch...! Me too, I started as a CF, then they moved me on the wing first, then they told me to move further back and ... ... maybe to limit damages in this way. They moved you further back to avoid that. It went well overall. I don't
know whether it was due to my good preparation when I was a child, something that has allowed me to have this possibility of playing in multiple roles, it was part of my success too. I remember that you started with the local parish team, where was that? In Rescaldina, the little village I'm from. You're so old school, a lord, a duke... Isn't that nice though, when you as a kid, in school or on Sunday...? Rescaldina is where you live now? Nope, now I live closer to Milan, in Arese. ... You know,
I'd gather with my friends who are still my friends today, my buddies, the people you grew up with. It's nice to meet them again and we used to meet every Sunday, or in the afternoons after school when we could, in the local parish, playing football till night, having fun. It was really nice. I see that now that I've retired, all my old friends are the one that you've shared the most with, you can call them your true friends. They've known you the longest, better than anyone else. How many peop
le in the world of football would you consider as friends, now? Friends that you can really share something with, and you've played for a long time now? I'm not sure, not many... I'm one of them. Exactly. The fact that I live abroad was also something that had an impact, I met a lot of people with different cultures, but in the end those who matter to you and you keep in contact with and stay friends are not that many at all. Who do you have a strong bond with? Barella, Bastoni, Dimarco. Like 'T
he Fellowship of the Ring' We are nice group, I must say, and I think people can perceive this. In all these years, and this is the fourth one, we've always had - yourself too up until two years ago - I did live a mark then! A very little mark! You keep me as a 'holy card' that you give prayers on. There's two of those, one in the dressing room and one over the physio bed. Over the physio bed !?! For sure I was a wild horse on that bed. How many years did you do here? Nine? I did twelve years he
re, with a break in the middle when I was at Sampdoria and in England, but it was many years. It was a nice path, I really enjoyed it. Have you thought about anything in particular for your retirement? What are your ideas? Hang on a second... ... I still have a few years in me! I hope I have still some good last bullets to shoot. I'm sure you'll do great at that! Have you been thinking about it? I haven't to be honest. Not yet to be honest. What I would like to do, obviously, is to keep in the w
orld of football, but if I were to tell you in which job exactly, I don't know. Today I can tell you, not as a coach. Why, don't you like that idea? What don't you like about it? The stress, the pressure, we are used to a certain type of lifestyle you know, and the coach does the same type of life that we do, maybe even worse. As for now I'd say no to becoming a coach. When you quit, you'll start thinking about it but I think it's better if you start ahead. You don't want to feel disoriented whe
n it comes to it. Maybe I will do some course, to become a certified coach, then I will see what's best for me. You have many years ahead of you, don't worry. What are you up to now? I'm enjoying my private life for the time being. A sort of exile. I'm joking, I'm doing great. After many years where, you know, you play for top Clubs you are never home, you don't have much time for your family, so that's OK now. Some advice I can sort of give you is that as long as you have the enthusiasm to play
, keep on doing it, and push yourself as you can. When that ceases, that's your chance to make an exit. That is essential. To leave only because you didn't have anything left. I felt really drained, when I left. That's why I left. I'm looking for things to do now, this is one of them! Who's the coach that had the biggest impact on your career? Obviously they all made an impact... They've all been very important for me, it may seem as something I'm obliged to say, but it's the truth. I understand
. Some of them have given me more in terms of tactics, some technical, even in academies - something obvious like your body posture - that may sound boring at the start, but then appreciated them later in life. Picking one out of all them isn't easy, but I think that my breakthrough came with Ventura. Where was this at? At Torino, for four years. Ventura is one of those masters of football. I had joined them from Palermo. They were in Serie A at the time. And I dropped in Serie B in Torino. He t
aught me a lot of things that later and even today are useful on a daily basis. Then of course Antonio Conte. In the national squad and here at Inter too. Let's say that the one coach that you meet when you'r still young is the one with the biggest impact. Yes. Later maybe you have the experience to appreciate, with Simone now, and you said this many times, his (Inzaghi's) way of managing things, understanding the players and you come to appreciate other aspects. But the coaches that you meet at
young age are those whose ideas stay with you forever. Their ideas and principle, and Ventura falls in this category. Coaches become crucial in the choices players have to make in their career. Leaving a Club and joining another one, aware of the type of coach they will face, with a different set-up. I think coaches have a massive impact on a player and their growth, in all aspects. Speaking of coaches, a part the fact I cannot imagine you as a coach, who among the new players do you like the m
ost? I know you as one that tries to welcome new arrivals in the dressing room, trying to help them, not much with words, you are an introvert, more than I am. I think that you help them more with your attitude. You are very respected and admired person, in general. What about these new arrivals? They are all good lads, to be honest. They have all made themselves available, they are all keen to learn and I think this is the main thing. I think Bisseck is ... What's he like? He's really good, he'
s got a great future ahead, there's room for improvement. He's already demonstrated that he can work really well in this group and in this team. He works really well during the week. And I think, like I said to you before, that coming here from another Country, another League, is never easy. I think he settled in pretty well, I think he can do really well here. You speak English with him, don't you? Yes, for sure. I think it's vital to have a solid group and besides what's been said, it is the a
ttitude that one has on and off the pitch that determines how the others can perceive you. You guys have been a long time, together with Lauti who's a perfect captain for this group, Barella and Bastoni as well. And those who join Inter and meet you can immediately understand how things work at the Club. They've picked everything up pretty much straight away. They've managed to connect with their team-mates. This is a healthy group, that wants to reach certain goals. There's that hunger of winni
ng every single game, The latest two years have been really important, it's that we have been able to collect many victories, and a few trophies, but on other occasions you must admit that defeats are lessons learnt. Are you talking about the Champions League final? Yes sure, because last year we had so many highs and lows in the league, we lost twelve games. It's a lot. We have all grown a lot, especially in self-awareness, and we don't want to repeat last year's mistakes at all costs. I think
that if you had managed to win the UCL final, well, last season would have been a masterpiece. That defeat gave you the right perception of what Inter is, a team that can play against any opponent. That's what I understood from the outside. No one thought we did not have a chance in that match. A lost cause. We thought that we could do well in a way, and that's what happened really, we did not win the game in the end. but you are such a strong team, you can face anyone! What's 'Matteo off the pi
tch' like? I've heard you are into tennis, basketball..? Tennis, yes. Or cricket? Or greyhound racing...! I like tennis more, not much into basketball, Lately Bastoni and Barelli have gone crazy about it. Last year together with Alex Cordaz I got into cycling. I remember that, he was so much into it. It was a world a didn't know anything about and to be honest if watched a race I would... Fall asleep? That happens to me a lot, I don't need a cycling race for that. We are pretty much the same, no
t only four our style. I don't need something I don't like, I fall asleep easily, everywhere. We got into cycling a bit and that's something we came to like, but the sport I like other than football is tennis. Now I have the last couple of things for you. The first question is: Who's your idol in sports? The one you would like to go out for dinner with? My dream is to have dinner with...? Besides my self! We did go out for dinner a few times, so... that dream has already come true! I would say R
oger Federer. Me too. For his achievements but also for ... One meal only wouldn't be enough. ... but also for his style, I like it. It's very similar to yours. On top of being a real champion. Have you ever met him in person? Nope. That's a pity. That's what I thought when I quit, that it would've been nice to watch him play live. The last question, then you can go: If you were to choose a superpower - a question that has nothing to do with anything - which one would you like? I don't know, Tel
etransportation. You can use it on the pitch too. I can teletransport myself, at least I can do something more outstanding, since I'm not like that really... What about yourself? I've always fancied being able to fly. I'm here now, then I'll fly somewhere else. I've always fancied it, I liked Superman as a child. Or what about Mr Fantastic, you can stretch like an octopus! The other day I read on Twitter a couple of nice tweets. A person called Rob said that 'Darmian only pretends to get older o
n every December 2nd.' So that people don't get suspicious. You can find amazing things on there. Darmian, who's the only one that pays in coins so to make it easier for the cashier to give him the change. About yourself really, I can only be happy because when you joined - I didn't read the part above - You got here walking on tiptoes. there was some skepticism around you, you joined from Parma and all... and then performance after performance you became an idol, everyone loves you, like you sa
id, you may not be a media person but you definitely are an effective player. It's nice to hear this. It was nice for me to have shared a lot of things with you. It's the same for me. I'm please by this and in a view when I arrived here I think I could have understood how the fans think, that's it, because I bet on myself with leaving Manchester and going to Parma, because what I wanted was to play, and I wasn't doing much of that in my last year at Manchester United. Then every piece of the puz
zle came together. With sweat and a pain. The internet is such an incredible world. I know something about that too. Time heals everything and you can only improve. You can have a laugh about it. Thank you Matteo, it was a pleasure. It was a pleasure for me too, as always.
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