APPIANO GENTILE – Joao Mario spoke of his desire to repay the club's faith in him and what it feels like to be an Inter player during his official unveiling this afternoon.
"I am very happy to be at a club like Inter," declared the new Nerazzurri signing. "The day I stepped out onto the pitch to greet the fans was one of the most exciting of my life."
The Portuguese midfielder then moved on to discuss his favoured playing position: "Normally I prefer to play as a No.8 or a No.10, although recently I have been playing more often as an attacking midfielder. The most important thing is to help out the team wherever the coach wants me."
Joao Mario was brimming with excitement at the prospect of such an important weekend with the game against Juventus. "I cannot wait to experience the atmosphere during such a fascinating contest. As for whether we're the underdogs, Portugal were underdogs at the Euros."
The up-and-coming Portuguese star is following in a rich tradition of his compatriots at Inter. "Obviously Inter are a huge club with a unique and extraordinary history that has been marked by big Portuguese footballing figures like Jose Mourinho and Luis Figo. This was part of my decision to come here. Aside from the club's prestige, I joined Inter because I want to experience a new and successful challenge."
For anyone worrying about the price-tag on his head, Joao Mario had this to say: "I want to repay the faith that the club has shown in me. Obviously, fans want to see results immediately, especially if there was a lot of money involved but I've got a contract for five years and I believe that over this spell I will show my true ability.
"We're confident that we can get back to winning ways. Regardless of the defeat there's a good atmosphere in the dressing room. We hope to get better."
Piero Ausilio also said a few words about the club's new arrival: "We saw Joao Mario at the Next Generation tournament that we won. At the time we weren't able to get him but now we're happy to have invested in him."
Inter's sporting director then wrapped up the press conference with a comment on yesterday's performance. "We're very upset about yesterday's defeat. We have to grow and develop considerably. It's a tough moment, we know that, but we're confident that we can get out of it and Sunday is a great opportunity to do so."
