Former Inter defender Marco Materazzi says he is still waiting for Romelu Lukaku to explain his decisions from the summer. The Belgian striker made the switch to Roma this summer after talks over a permanent move to Inter broke down. Newspaper reports from the time suggested that Lukaku had entered into talks with arch rivals Juventus, resulting in Inter directors withdrawing from negotiations.
Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Materazzi explained why he is still waiting for answers from Lukaku, and also shared some memories from his time with coach Jose Mourinho, who famously led Inter to a treble:
Who better than you, Marco Materazzi, can help us understand the situation with Lukaku?
“Why will San Siro boo Lukaku and you have never booed Mourinho?”.
“It’s not that difficult, I think. It was enough to say it: I’m leaving because… It was nice, thanks for everything, etc., etc. It was enough to say it first, above all.”
Not even Mourinho had said it, in reality.
“Publicly not, but we were playing a Champions League, not an amateur tournament. And then President Moratti basically said it to those in charge. And to us too: if you know each other, you don’t need solemn speeches, glances are enough, the non-answers”.
Therefore it is the silence that Lukaku is not forgiven for.
“Silence and its timing. He says that when he speaks many things will be understood: we hope, but we Inter fans are still waiting. If I had made a choice like his, I would have already needed to explain. And I would have explained. Because there are things that don’t need to be said, like that night in Madrid. But others are important to say, explain.”
That night in Madrid, or one with your face on the other’s (Mourinho) shoulder crying?
“Exactly, zero words. We had already said everything to each other: even before he sent me onto the field for those few minutes of the final.”
Very few, in fact.
“Look, it was worth being coached by Mourinho, at Inter, even to play just one minute in the whole season. Everything has always been very clear to me since I spoke with him, before extending the contact until 2012. I knew what my position was: I would have played little, let’s say the right amount, but also in decisive matches like the Italian Cup final, and yet I would have felt important even sitting on the bench next to him.”
So can you remind us of what Mourinho whispered to you on the pitch on the evening of 22 May 2010?
““Marco, you were on the pitch in the final match of the World Cup and you are on the pitch in this final match of the Champions League”. I tried for the last time, with my shirt in my mouth so as not to make him understand what I was telling him: “Stay, no one will love you like what happened in our family.”
In your opinion, has Mourinho ever been more loved than at Inter?
“I’m nobody to say. At most I can say that he was probably never loved in that way again. Because those two years were a unique story: not necessarily better than others, but unique. And perhaps unrepeatable.”
Can you tell us in a few words about Mourinho?
“I’ll tell you what is definitely “Mourinho-like”. The ability to know how to be everything: coach, family man, friend with whom you can joke, but who gets angry if you don’t behave like a friend. To create empathy: he faced harshly, especially those with strong character. Not to accept compromises. To touch the right notes: yours, the deepest ones, and above all those of the “enemies”. And to multiply your energies, until you felt strong, stronger than everyone. Is that enough?”.
