Handanovic: "I'm proud, it's a privilege that will now continue"

APPIANO GENTILE - "Inter are a top Club, I’ve worked hard to join this team. Here, you can compete to win. I’m at the team’s disposal. It’ll be great to take to the pitch at San Siro, as it has been when I’ve played here as an opposition player. It’s a stadium where the fans make themselves heard. For a goalkeeper, this is brilliant."

This is how Samir Handanovic introduced himself to the Inter faithful when he held his first press conference as a Nerazzurri player in July 2012.

Ten years later, the Nerazzurri captain is ready to begin his eleventh season in the Inter shirt, and his ambitions remain the same: “I was a lot younger in this press conference. It’s great to relive certain things and emotions. It’s true: ten years ago, I arrived at a top Club, and I’m still at a top Club.”

Next season will be your eleventh at Inter, which is a prestigious feat. How happy are you with this contract renewal? “I’m very happy and proud to be an Inter player and the captain. For me, it’s a privilege that will now continue.”

In football, they say that ‘success breeds success’. You won the Scudetto two years ago and another two trophies last season. How much desire is there to achieve new objectives? “Those who play for Inter always have great desire to win. This is because this Club’s history shows us that you play here to win titles. This is why we’re here, and it’s something we explain to new arrivals. We want to compete to win trophies.”

It’s a special day: ten years ago, you signed for Inter. What has changed since then? How much have you grown since then? "I’ve grown as a man and as a player. A lot has changed in the past ten years: players and coaches have come and gone, while the Club has changed hands three times. But the most important thing is for Inter to keep getting better and better. We’ve improved a lot during these ten years, and we need to do all that we can to take the Club to new heights.”