New Inter defender Benjamin Pavard says he joined the club this summer with a clear goal in mind: ‘To add a second star.’ The Frenchman spoke with La Gazzetta dello Sport about his arrival at the club, his first sensations in the Nerazzurri dressing room, and his goals for the season:
“Inter was the right choice, I was welcomed very well by everyone, from coach Inzaghi to Javier Zanetti and my teammates. I discovered a nice dressing room. After seven years in Germany I wanted a new challenge, new stimuli. Inter already wanted me in January with a project that is what I was looking for.”
“Zanetti? A legend, if you think of Inter, you think of him first. He is respected by everyone, a nice person.”
“The Derby against Milan? Beautiful: when I saw the smoke bombs, our fans banging their fists on the windows of our bus to charge us, the chants in a full Meazza , I had shivers. I play football for this kind of emotion. I like a fiery crowd, because I’m like that too: we’ll understand each other with the fans.”
“The sporting project allows me to play in the role I prefer. I have followed Serie A for years, also for tactics. Italy is the homeland of defenders, so for me there were all the conditions for this choice.
“Many defenders, from Laurent Blanc to Walter Samuel , and more generally the legends from Paolo Maldini to Lilian Thuram. They are all a source of inspiration: I am 27 years old and I can improve myself and learn a lot. At Inter I can realize myself.”
“Serie A is a much more tactical league than the Bundesliga, you run a lot more and do a lot of tactical work. There is a lot of dialogue with Acerbi and Bastoni , as with De Vrij and Darmian . They are nationals and it’s easy to understand each other.”
“Inzaghi is a leader, a leader, a great motivator in matches and in training, a great coach who does not underestimate any team. An example of what he asks of me differently: support for the right back and then advancing in depth, which I didn’t do it at Bayern where they told me to stay behind, especially in a three-man defence.”
“Marcus Thuram? He integrated right away because the club creates the ideal conditions for us to feel at ease. I’m very happy for him, he’s a special boy, I hope he continues like this, and I have a lot of respect for his dad.”
“I came here to put the second star on the shirt and give back to the fans the affection they have given me since before I signed, with the many messages I received on social media. They deserve great trophies. There is no shortage of rivals: Milan , Napoli, Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentina. But the season is long.
“Also for this reason I didn’t joke too much with Giroud and Theo after the derby victory. If anything, I’ll make up for it at the end, if we win the championship. The Champions League? Everything is possible , but we have to think about ourselves, focus on our game and continue to work hard.”
