Materazzi speaks out: Roma’s struggles and Inter’s ambitions

Former Inter Milan and Italy defender Marco Materazzi has shared his candid thoughts on various football topics in a recent interview. The World Cup winner touched on his relationship with Zinedine Zidane, Inter’s current stars, and the state of Italian football.

Addressing his infamous incident with Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final, Materazzi revealed, “I haven’t spoken to Zinedine Zidane since the 2006 World Cup final. I had never spoken to him before and haven’t spoken to him since. We don’t have a relationship. He’s a football legend and I have great respect for him as a player and coach, he’s won three Champions Leagues. I’m not looking for his apologies anymore, but I’d be happy to talk to him now that so many years have passed. There wouldn’t be any problems.”

Materazzi praised Inter Milan’s captain Lautaro Martinez, describing him as a world-class player capable of performing in any league. He warned Premier League clubs to stay away from Inter’s prized asset, stating, “If I had to give a message to Premier League clubs, it would be not to approach our captain.”

The former defender expressed optimism about Inter’s Champions League prospects this season, citing the team’s European mentality. He identified Manchester City as Inter’s biggest rival in the tournament but suggested that Pep Guardiola could potentially manage Inter in the future.

Materazzi also shared his thoughts on various managers, including Simone Inzaghi, Antonio Conte, and Thiago Motta. He praised Inzaghi’s work at Inter, suggesting he could become the club’s version of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Regarding Italian football’s current state, Materazzi singled out Samuele Ricci of Torino as an impressive young talent, saying, “A player who has really impressed me is Samuele Ricci from Torino, he’s a great player. It’s a difficult task for him to follow in the footsteps of Andrea Pirlo, Marco Verratti and Jorginho with Italy, but I believe he has what it takes to do it.”

Finally, Materazzi didn’t hold back in his criticism of Roma’s performance this season. He stated, “Roma is the team that’s doing worst in Italy, José Mourinho expected it. They can do much more with the squad they have, and I think the fans are right to be very disappointed at the moment. Last season they fired a manager (José Mourinho) who knows everything about football and maybe he had already understood what was about to happen before.”

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