Former Inter defender Marco Materazzi was recently interviewed ahead of tonight’s showdown with Roma at Stadio Olimpico.
While talking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Materazzi touched upon his former Italy teammate and friend, Daniele De Rossi, who is now in charge of Roma until the end of the season.
Looking back on his career, Materazzi revealed that he tried in vain to convince De Rossi to join Inter during Jose Mourinho’s reign in Milan.
“Do you know how many times I told him “Come on, Dani, come to Inter”? He always smiled and replied the same way: “Marco, if I leave Rome, I have to leave the two things I love most: my daughter Gaia and Roma”. That’s what De Rossi is all about: absolute love, absolute loyalty.”
“Obviously now as the head coach his job will get more difficult. But he has three weapons. The strength of enthusiasm: he knows how to drag and bring players to his side, how to motivate. He also did it as a teammate; the strength of knowledge: “he was a coach already when he played” is a cliché, but he has twenty years of football behind him and no one has experienced Rome, Trigoria and that locker room like him.”
“And finally he has the strength of intelligence: he’s one of the most intelligent footballers I have met.”
