MILAN - Eighteen years of presidency, but the reaching of this "adult" number is so overshadowed by the victories as to be obsolete. In eighteen years as president Massimo Moratti has won everything, with the intelligent courage of one who knows the world in every aspect. No tricks or bargaining, just competence and a sense of the game that is often seen as a life discipline. See Inter Campus. Going against the current, this new protagonist, the following day on 19 February 1995 - at a time when there was less media and TV coverage - was hailed as the hero that Inter fans were dreaming about, although others were dreaming about it a bit less.
And right away there was a victory, on a cold day at the San Siro. It was the beginning of an adventure that, while you dream of it in a pure and competent way, while you dream of it in the name of your father Angelo - legendary for his passion - you know at the same time that you’ll have to put something into it. You’ll taste the obligation, the disappointment, the fatigue, the constant attention that separates future prospects from the reality of the present.
Many adventures have been undertaken, and for the most part they have been successful. And those that were not successful had their reasons for it.
At times there was no one to believe at the beginning. Paul Ince was almost a challenge, the black captain of the English national team. Roy Hodgson had only been the coach of Switzerland, he had Ganz and Branca in attack – yet he came within a hair of winning the UEFA Cup. And now he’s the England coach. Giacinto Facchetti believed; he was a friend and an ally who sadly left us far too soon.
Roberto Mancini was a promise, just as Ronaldo could have been. There were certainties, like Mourinho or Ibra. Eto’o was more of a gamble. The others were unknowns for the most part, like Maicon and Julio Cesar. Milan, Siena, Madrid, Abu Dhabi, Viareggio, London. Different scenarios for different teams. But the San Siro was for collective celebrations.
The main thread running through the story has been a president, Massimo Moratti; not only bearing the name of his father, but also that of his grandfather. Because Inter are like a family, to be understood in the most simple, enormous and generous terms. So generous as to encompass tens of millions of fans around the world. Eighteen years is a long time, more or less 6,570 days to think of Inter in the first person. When you renew the enthusiasm, you learn a lot and win a lot. Massimo Moratti continues to be the same. In both the difficult days and the easy ones. In these eighteen years – long and not always easy – it’s possible and even probable that the difficult challenges have even taught us to be more ourselves. (sw)
