MILAN – Legendary Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga was the first guest on the new series of Inter Channel’s Memorabilia programme, professing his love for the Nerazzurri and reliving some of the highlights of his career at the club.
"Inter is without doubt the club of my life. I was lucky enough to be born into, support and play for the Nerazzurri, wearing the shirt 473 times," began Zenga.
"I owe a great deal to my first coach, Giannino Radaelli," Zenga continued. "He taught me about respect and manners. They’re not easy to get to grips with at first, but sooner or later they make you realise that what you’re doing can come in useful for the rest of your life."
Zenga first few years at Inter saw him sent out on loan to a succession of lower-league sides: "In 1979 the Primavera players were sent out on loan. I got a call and before I knew it I was at the club headquarters with a ticket to Salerno in my hand. After that I went to Savona and later San Benedetto del Tronto."
After four years away from Inter, Zenga returned and quickly became first choice: "I was supposed to be Bordon’s number two, but after a couple of good performances I got to play in the Coppa Italia and the Mundialito.
"I became first choice at the age of 23, under Luigi Radice. We got better and better with every passing year, because many of us had come up through the youth academy – myself, Baresi, Bergomi and Ferri. Back then you could only have a limited number of foreign players, so it was really easy for us Italians to feel like an important part of the club. Times change, of course, and the game moves into different directions."
The 1988/89 season was one of the most memorable of Zenga’s career at Inter.
"The Seoul Olympics meant that the league didn’t begin until October, and we didn’t get off to the best of starts. I had wanted to leave the year beforehand but in the end I decided to stay, just before the derby we lost 1-0. The 1988/89 season was insane – we kept 21 clean sheets from 34 games. I had some incredible players as team-mates. It was an incredible season, unlike any other."
Zenga also spoke fondly of the 1991 UEFA Cup win, as Inter beat Roma to taste European success for the first time since the days of La Grande Inter.
"It had been so long since we’d won. That was another season when we conceded very few goals. Right from the word go, we felt we had a chance of winning the cup. I remember our first game, against Rapid Vienna in a neutral ground in Verona: I pulled off an amazing double save in the last minute to keep us alive. We knew we could win the trophy."
The 1993/94 season was one of contrast, as the Nerazzurri again won the UEFA Cup but slumped to a 13th-place finish in Serie A.
"We wanted to win every game but we ended up losing too many," recalled Zenga. "Things went much better in the UEFA Cup than in Serie A. I remember great wins against Dortmund, the two games against Cagliari and the final, when we beat Salzburg. We found it really tough going in the league and had to fight not to go down."
The final against Salzburg proved to be the perfect farewell for Zenga: "There was no better way to say goodbye. I knew that Sampdoria had been interested in me for a while – Mancini even called me.
"I remember it like it was yesterday. I walked out before the game and the whole stadium started cheering my name. That gave me the motivation I needed to produce a top performance. I kept everything out – I was a winner that day."
While Zenga went to Sampdoria, Gianluca Pagliuca came the other way, to Inter.
"I was on the wane by then and Pagliuca was a young prospect. I didn’t take it well – I didn’t like how it happened. But I came to understand it over time and as a coach I’ve had to make similar decisions. You have to take the negative experiences and turn them into something positive."
Zenga is now coach of Wolves in England, having managed the likes of Sampdoria and Red Star Belgrade in the past. Yet Zenga’s managerial career began on the other side of the world at New England Revolution.
"I took the American experience as an opportunity. I was speaking to a colleague of mine yesterday and was saying that I need to focus more on the opportunity, rather than the contract. I spent two months coaching in the United States and then starting playing again on a player-manager basis.
"It was a tough experience in terms of the language and culture, but they taught me not to be jealous of anyone and helped me look at things differently to the way I did before."
Last but not least, Zenga was asked whether he’d like to one day manage Inter.
"I’ve had the chance to coach other teams in Italy but those experiences probably haven’t put me in a position to be considered for the manager’s job at Inter. That said, it’s something that will always be in my mind, even though I think my time has passed for that."
