Federico Dimarco, Inter Milan’s left-back, recently gave a heartfelt interview on Gianluca Gazzoli’s BSMT podcast, revealing his journey from a young prospect to a key player for the Nerazzurri.
Nicknames and National Team Duties
Dimarco began by discussing his nicknames: “There’s always been Dima, then Dimash came about when I returned to Inter. It was Coach Inzaghi who invented it. Why? Honestly, I don’t know, it just came to him out of nowhere, and from there, it stuck with others too, and we’ve carried it on. We used it when we won the championship. Whisky? That was from my time at Verona, but it’s passed.”
On representing Italy, he said, “Wearing the national team jersey is always beautiful. Obviously, there are many matches throughout the year, and you need to manage them well with both Inter and Italy. When there’s the championship, there are many games, and you can manage them better. With the National team, they’re one-off matches, and you have to keep the honor of the shirt high.”
The Journey to Success
Dimarco reflected on his path to becoming a regular for Inter: “I’m the last of the predestined. When I step on the field with Inter’s jersey, I try to be myself. As I am on the field, I am off it. I’m competitive, I always try to help my teammates, in important matches I try to give an extra stimulus.”
He candidly spoke about dealing with losses: “When we lose a match, a championship, the Champions League final, I really go into total meltdown. Then when I analyze things, I try to start over, I set myself a goal. After the national team, after that lost Champions League final, I set myself the goal of winning the championship, and so it was. A nice revenge, then the second star, it was beautiful.”
Early Career and Challenges
Dimarco shared his early experiences: “I started going to the first team when I was 16. There was Mazzarri on the bench, but there were the legends of the treble like Samuel, Milito, it was Zanetti’s last year. When you’re that young, it’s like a merry-go-round.”
He recounted his difficult time in Switzerland: “The year after, I had teams that wanted me to be the young player behind the more experienced player, and not agreeing with that, I tried to change and went to Switzerland. I started very well, but after the first game, I broke my metatarsal.”
Dimarco revealed a particularly challenging period: “In Switzerland, it was a tough year because I also lost a child with my girlfriend, but these are things that made me grow.”
Turning Point and Return to Inter
The defender spoke about his turning point at Verona: “A year and a half in Verona was the most important change in my short career. It was a combination of things, the coach gave me the opportunity to express my qualities.”
On his return to Inter under Conte, Dimarco recounted: “After a couple of training sessions back at Inter, Conte comes and tells me: ‘Fede, I want you to stay.’ I was happy because when someone like him tells you those things, you’re a bit taken aback.”
Lessons Learned and Future Outlook
Reflecting on his journey, Dimarco concluded: “I think every player should be the master of their own destiny. When making choices, one must be aware and go through with the choice. Every player is different, I may have needed to change 5 teams before returning to Inter, but you can’t judge one path compared to another. Everyone must do what they feel, what pays off is work.“
