MILAN - Mauro Icardi has revealed the exact moment when he discovered that he was to become the Nerazzurri captain.
Hosted on Inter Channel's InterNos programme today, the 22-year-old also chatted about how his game has developed under Roberto Mancini and discussed the mood in the camp following last Sunday's reverse against Fiorentina.
"To be honest I never expected to become captain when I joined the club. I just expected to score goals," Mauro told show hosts Roberto Scarpini and Nagaja Beccalossi in the Inter Channel studios today.
"Then when the first game of the season came along I just found the armband there with my things when I entered the dressing room. It's a great feeling to captain a team like Inter."
Becoming club skipper is not the only change Mauro has undergone since arriving at the club from Sampdoria in 2013. A natural-born goalscorer, he's grown into a more all-round player now.
"The gaffer has been telling me I have to play more for the team since day one. I know he does it for my own good and I'm happy to do my part. I aim to play well every year. When you're a striker, there's nothing better than scoring goals," said the man who finished joint top of the Serie A scoring charts last season.
Icardi also found the net last weekend but ended up on the losing side as Fiorentina won at San Siro. Following that match, there have been suggestions that the Inter dressing room might have been affected by the defeat. Suggestions he was quick to dismiss.
"We're a very close-knit group. We had a bad night against Fiorentina but we have to keep on doing the things we did in the first five games. We all train really well throughout the week."
So can Inter win the Scudetto? "I said this before: it's easy to talk about the title when you're winning games. We'll have to see where we are in March, but of course every team wants to win."
Finally, the Argentine hitman was asked to name his favourite goal so far in the black and blue stripes. "The most important goal since I've been at Inter was against Juventus at San Siro."
The Inter captain's full interview will air on tonight's episode of InterNos, on Inter Channel at 21:00.
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