Samir Handanovic insists the Inter captain’s armband “is not a title of nobility or a trophy. It’s a great responsibility and an honour.”
The veteran goalkeeper was given the captaincy after it was stripped from Mauro Icardi and the Nerazzurri put in a great performance to crush Rapid Vienna 4-0 in the Europa League, 5-0 on aggregate.
Samir Handanovic insists the Inter captain’s armband “is not a title of nobility or a trophy. It’s a great responsibility and an honour.”
The veteran goalkeeper was given the captaincy after it was stripped from Mauro Icardi and the Nerazzurri put in a great performance to crush Rapid Vienna 4-0 in the Europa League, 5-0 on aggregate.
“Nothing can be taken for granted in modern football. The moment you step out there with the wrong attitude or underestimate the test, you change the game. It only seems simple after the final whistle,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“I think we can still improve. The squad is solid, we don’t lose possession in a banal way as much now and that makes everyone play better.
“You can see the lads who haven’t played as much this season showed themselves to be ready. We know that we need everybody if we want to go all the way this season.”
Handanovic was asked if he had changed his approach or attitude since becoming the Inter captain.
“The armband is not a title of nobility or a trophy. It is a great responsibility and at Inter an honour. We don’t need just one person wearing the armband, because we need five or six leaders who push the squad forward. It doesn’t matter who wears the armband.
“Nothing has changed for me, I keep behaving the way I did before. Of course, the behaviour of a captain is under the spotlight. If I need to, and I hope I won’t need to, I’ll step in and also do things that are required of a captain in certain situations.”