MILAN – Ex-Inter defender Mauro Milanese appeared on Inter Channel’s Memorabilia programme on Wednesday evening to look back at some of the highlights of his Nerazzurri career.
Milanese only spent one and a half seasons at Inter, but his spell at the club was shared with one of the greatest players ever to don the black and blue: Ronaldo.
"I only scored one goal for Inter but it was a special one, because Ronaldo set me up for it," explained the Italian defender. "He could make anyone score – even me! It was great fun in training, but in matches he made us win – his record is almost inexplicable. He’s the best player I ever played with, even though I was at Inter with Baggio, Pirlo and Zamorano."
Milanese also spoke about his experience as part of the Inter back line.
"We played man-to-man for about 90% of the time, with Bergomi mopping up. We were very solid at the back and took care of the simple stuff, then we had Djorkaeff, Ronaldo, Zamorano and Recoba to play the ball to. There were lots of players capable of making all the difference and winning football matches. Many years later, I came to realise that our Inter side might be one of the fans’ all-time favourites.
"Defenders need to stay focused for the whole 95 minutes, because if you lose concentration for a second your man will score and you’ll end up with a player rating of 5/10. It sounds strange but that’s why we would often win attack-versus-defence exercises in training against the likes of Ronaldo and Djorkaeff. We were great friends and saw each other outside of football – many of us are still in contact now."
The former Inter man went on to explain where his career has taken him since his retirement.
"When I hung up my boots at the age of 38, I decided to get my licences," he said. "It’s important to get qualified and I wanted to learn English too. I got my FIFA agent licence and then obtained my coaching and sporting director licences in Coverciano."
Last but not least, Milanese revealed his fondest Inter memory.
"My best memory of my time at Inter was Ronaldo’s incredible run and assist for yours truly. The UEFA Cup win and the celebrations in Paris were amazing too."
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