Former Inter striker Samuel Eto’o recounted how he asked former Inter president Massimo Moratti for two years to win the Champions League for the Nerazzurri. The Cameroonian made the switch from Barcelona to Inter in 2009 and went on to win a famous treble under coach Jose Mourinho. Speaking to BeIN Sports, Eto’o looked back at his famous move and his time in Milan:
“Pep Guardiola gave me an opportunity for which I will always be grateful to him, that of entering even more football history. He allowed Inter to make the best deal in its history.
The exchange with Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the most beautiful in the history of football. When I arrived at Inter, I told ‘papa’ Massimo Moratti, ‘Give me two years and I will give you the Champions League.’
I arrived in this wonderful family, with Marco Materazzi and Javier Zanetti. Around me, then, I had killers. When we entered the stadium and you saw our eyes, you immediately thought, ‘Better let them win and go back to my family.'”
Mourinho? He is far from everything people say about him. Did you know why we loved him so much? Because he was always sincere with us. I always felt protected by him, even if I was on the bench for a month. Then one day I told him, ‘Jose, Samuel is not going on the bench.’ And he replied, ‘Now I have my player.’ There it all started.”