Perisic and the choice to stay at Inter for Spalletti
- Mirko Laurenti
Inter winger Ivan Perisic recently talked to Four Four Two.
A YEAR TO REMEMBER - "2018 is not over yet but it has certainly been a year to remember: the success achieved in Russia has undoubtedly been the greatest and most precious of my career, but I have also lived many beautiful moments in the last 12 months with Inter, it could also be better, but the fact of being back in the Champions League after such a long period of time gives me reason to think that this was absolutely the best year of my career".
THE SEMIFINAL CROATIA-ENGLAND - "Although I've probably played better games, that night was something really special, on the emotional side it was definitely the biggest night of my football career. Especially after scoring a goal and serving an assist in the World Cup final. It is difficult even to dream of such a scenario".
THE RETURN TO ZAGREB - "We were told that so many people were waiting for us, but the way they welcomed us was unimaginable, more than 500 thousand people were in the streets. The songs echoed everywhere, there were Croatian flags, it was really like a dream, only when you see the happiness of these people, from the youngest to the oldest, you realize what you have achieved not only for yourself but for the whole nation. I think it's the most important aspect of the story: we arrived late for several hours at the official ceremony because the uncovered bus could not make its way through that people. When we got on the stage it was like an earthquake, we could hear the floor. Playing for the National team makes me very proud, being able to obtain these successes is something incredible. I hope we have encouraged many children to play football, leave their smartphones and computers and go to the pitch to play. I hope that what has been done can inspire another generation to repeat and overcome our record as the boys of 1998 have inspired me".
THE RETURN IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - "Inter did not qualify for the Champions League in the last 6 years, and for such a well-known club it's a very long time, luckily we were able to bring the Champions League back to San Siro. I'm really happy to have been part of this story because it was not a easy. The quality of Italian football has improved a lot in recent years and there are several strong teams. May we did not have the right team to win the Scudetto, but we wanted to fight for a place in the first four positions and go to the Champions League: the match against Lazio was stressful and it probably perfectly sums up our season in 90 minutes. We won, and it was an incredible emotion to celebrate at the Olimpico".
SPALLETTI - "When Spalletti arrived, I was very close to leaving the club. But he always showed a tremendous desire to keep me in the team and he also openly explained that he did not want to lose me. Obviously, it was something that flattered and encouraged me, and I never regretted the decision to stay at Inter, not even for a single second. He obviously made the difference to our results, bringing Inter back into Europe's elite clubs."
THE OFFER - "It's true, there was a Manchester United bid on the table and I was very close to going away from Inter. But in the end, I decided to stay and Spalletti's perseverance in keeping me played an important role. In football, small details are the key to such situations".
MOURINHO - "The admiration of a manager like Mourinho undoubtedly flatters me, confirming the hard work and the good performances. When you're praised by a coach of a great team like United, it's hard not to think about such an offer".
FUTURE IN PREMIER - "Never say never in football, I've had the ambition to play in as many big leagues as possible, and I still want to test myself in other tournaments, like the Spanish or English ones. I hope that Inter fans can understand my point of view, I'm an athlete and I'm a professional, I like challenges, and this is my force. What the future will bring I do not know, now I'm focused on Inter, trying to make a step forward even bigger than last season".
A YEAR TO REMEMBER - "2018 is not over yet but it has certainly been a year to remember: the success achieved in Russia has undoubtedly been the greatest and most precious of my career, but I have also lived many beautiful moments in the last 12 months with Inter, it could also be better, but the fact of being back in the Champions League after such a long period of time gives me reason to think that this was absolutely the best year of my career".
THE SEMIFINAL CROATIA-ENGLAND - "Although I've probably played better games, that night was something really special, on the emotional side it was definitely the biggest night of my football career. Especially after scoring a goal and serving an assist in the World Cup final. It is difficult even to dream of such a scenario".
THE RETURN TO ZAGREB - "We were told that so many people were waiting for us, but the way they welcomed us was unimaginable, more than 500 thousand people were in the streets. The songs echoed everywhere, there were Croatian flags, it was really like a dream, only when you see the happiness of these people, from the youngest to the oldest, you realize what you have achieved not only for yourself but for the whole nation. I think it's the most important aspect of the story: we arrived late for several hours at the official ceremony because the uncovered bus could not make its way through that people. When we got on the stage it was like an earthquake, we could hear the floor. Playing for the National team makes me very proud, being able to obtain these successes is something incredible. I hope we have encouraged many children to play football, leave their smartphones and computers and go to the pitch to play. I hope that what has been done can inspire another generation to repeat and overcome our record as the boys of 1998 have inspired me".
THE RETURN IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - "Inter did not qualify for the Champions League in the last 6 years, and for such a well-known club it's a very long time, luckily we were able to bring the Champions League back to San Siro. I'm really happy to have been part of this story because it was not a easy. The quality of Italian football has improved a lot in recent years and there are several strong teams. May we did not have the right team to win the Scudetto, but we wanted to fight for a place in the first four positions and go to the Champions League: the match against Lazio was stressful and it probably perfectly sums up our season in 90 minutes. We won, and it was an incredible emotion to celebrate at the Olimpico".
SPALLETTI - "When Spalletti arrived, I was very close to leaving the club. But he always showed a tremendous desire to keep me in the team and he also openly explained that he did not want to lose me. Obviously, it was something that flattered and encouraged me, and I never regretted the decision to stay at Inter, not even for a single second. He obviously made the difference to our results, bringing Inter back into Europe's elite clubs."
THE OFFER - "It's true, there was a Manchester United bid on the table and I was very close to going away from Inter. But in the end, I decided to stay and Spalletti's perseverance in keeping me played an important role. In football, small details are the key to such situations".
MOURINHO - "The admiration of a manager like Mourinho undoubtedly flatters me, confirming the hard work and the good performances. When you're praised by a coach of a great team like United, it's hard not to think about such an offer".
FUTURE IN PREMIER - "Never say never in football, I've had the ambition to play in as many big leagues as possible, and I still want to test myself in other tournaments, like the Spanish or English ones. I hope that Inter fans can understand my point of view, I'm an athlete and I'm a professional, I like challenges, and this is my force. What the future will bring I do not know, now I'm focused on Inter, trying to make a step forward even bigger than last season".