APPIANO GENTILE - "He hasn't played any jokes on me yet but he has on some of the others," smiles Andrea Ranocchia as he talks about Antonio Cassano on Inter Channel's Prima Serata. "Antonio likes a laugh and a joke, he's got the whole dressing room smiling. He laughs, jokes around and yet he's different class."
Meanwhile in the studio we see a slideshow of photos from Andrea's debut for the Nerazzurri: "It was a big time for me, my first - and I hope last - big club, it meant an awful lot to me," but also from his previous clubs. "I was just a kid at Arezzo, I was there from 17 to 19. At Bari I first tasted success, while at Genoa I relaunched my career after having done my cruciates. Then I came to Inter, and it's here that I've grown as a player and a person."
The defender was treated to a special message from his mentor, Giampiero Ventura, who congratulated the Nerazzurri stopper: "Although I shouldn't congratulate him as the other day his team beat me! I'm happy he's back after a difficult year, he's set to have a great career. I've always appreciated how keen he is to talk about the game, improve, increase his knowledge and his ability. That's why he's having a good career. He's now playing for the love of the game. He's consistently improved and I'm glad he's once again showing what he can do."
"Ventura was a key figure in my development," responds Andrea. "He gets you playing football, enjoying yourself, something which I think is essential for a footballer. Football should be fun and you shouldn't ever fear your opponents, and this is something he's always shown, against us too. I can only thank him."
At 20:00 the fourth and penultimate instalment of the interview with Andrea Ranocchia. See the piece in full on Inter Channel at 21:00.
