Carbone: "Dream come true to wear number 10"

APPIANO GENTILE

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Benito Carbone

is the latest guest on this week's episode of Memorabilia. The former Nerazzurri midfielder looked back over his career on Inter Channel.

"I moved to Torino when I was 13, leaving behind friends and family hundreds of miles away," began Carbone. "I grew up a lot during that time, both as a footballer and a man. I used to take two coaches and a train to go to training. I also made my Serie A debut for the Granata, aged 17. I can still picture that moment so vividly - it was an amazing feeling."

The native of Reggio Calabria moved around a lot during his career, though he was keen to stress that not all of those transfers were down to him.

"I played for so many different teams but that wasn't my choice. I would've liked to have become a club legend at Torino but things changed once Gianmarco Calleri took over as president. Napoli were also forced to sell me for financial reasons but I had a wonderful season with the Azzurri," he continued.

That's when he got the call from Inter.

"I've always been an Inter fan," he said, reflecting on his switch to Milan. "All of my family are Nerazzurri supporters. It was a great achievement for me although my only regret is not getting on with Hodgson. I opted to leave but that was a mistake because when you get the chance to wear number 10 for your boyhood club you must be patient and stay strong when the going gets tough. In hindsight, had I waited six months to work under Gigi Simoni, my career would have taken a different direction. I was at my peak and it's no coincidence that I was able to make my mark in the Premier League.

"Either way I loved my time at Inter and I always gave everything I had. I joined at the same time as Zanetti, who came in as an ordinary player and ended up becoming a legend. I've never seen another professional like him."

He concluded with a word on Inter Forever: "It's great to catch up all these years later and take a trip down memory lane. It's an incredible project and it allows us to keep enjoying wearing the Nerazzurri colours."