LONDON – This was the view of chief executive Ernesto Paolillo, interviewed following the final of the NextGen Series, which the Nerazzurri won on penalties against Dutch side Ajax. "I'm a lot less tense than I was at the start of the match," smiled Paolillo. "I was tense for one thing in particular – I wanted to bring the president the success he deserved. We're lucky enough to have great scouts and excellent coaches and year upon year they've all contributed something to these youngsters, and have brought them to this level. People are always talking about the Barcelona cantera and the Ajax youth set-up, but I think we can now start talking about the Inter academy. The president was here and he suffered and supported the team with us, it was great."
An academy which doesn't stop at the Primavera team, with excellent results being achieved at all levels, something which Paolillo mentioned. "From the Beppe Viola Trophy with the Allievi Nazionali [Under-17s], to the Manchester United Premier Cup with the Giovanissimi Nazional [Under-15s] and the Gallipoli Carnival Tournament with the Giovanissimi Regionali B [Under-13s], the entire academy is doing very well. This is success for the entire club."
Thoughts then turned to the future and the following season's NextGen. "Next year we will be back with the pride of a side that needs to show they're still at a high level."
