News Focus
- Inter Milan president admits he opposed Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus during his time there
- The Italian football executive reveals he might retire if Inter Milan win the Champions League
- Marotta hits back at José Mourinho’s comparison between current Inter squad and 2010 treble winners
- He defends himself against online critics using the hashtag MarottaLeague
- He explains how a text message from club owner Zhang led to his move to Inter
Inter Milan president Beppe Marotta has spoken openly about his 50-year career in football. He says he did not agree with Juventus when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he makes clear this disagreement did not cause him to leave the Turin club.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Marotta explained the relationship between managers and owners. “When the ownership takes a step forward, the manager must take a step back,” he stated. The quotes come via Goal.
Marotta also shared the story of how he joined Inter Milan. The day after he left Juventus, he received a text message from an unknown number. It was signed by Steven Zhang, who owns Inter. This message led to one of the most important appointments in recent Italian football history.
The 66-year-old now has one major dream left in his career. He wants to win the Champions League with Inter. His teams have reached four finals in the past but lost all of them. “If we won the Champions League, I could go into retirement,” he admitted.
Marotta also responded to comments from former Inter manager José Mourinho. Mourinho had claimed that none of the current Inter players would get into his 2010 treble-winning side. Marotta disagreed strongly. He said the current squad are great champions. He added that it is wrong to compare players from different eras.
The Inter chief also spoke about criticism on social media. Some fans use the hashtag MarottaLeague to attack him online. Marotta called these critics “keyboard warriors.” He said they know nothing about the people they judge. “They rush to judge without knowing. All they do is throw mud,” he stated firmly.