Radja Nainggolan still keeps in touch with his former Roma teammates and wouldn’t celebrate against them, but admits to struggling with injuries at Inter.
The Belgium international sat down with the Corriere dello Sport for a lengthy interview. You can read the rest of his comments here and here.
Radja Nainggolan still keeps in touch with his former Roma teammates and wouldn’t celebrate against them, but admits to struggling with injuries at Inter.
The Belgium international sat down with the Corriere dello Sport for a lengthy interview. You can read the rest of his comments here and here.
He will come face to face with his old club next Saturday and was asked how he’ll feel in that situation.
“I was injured for the first game at the Olimpico, so managed to skip that… I had unforgettable years at Roma and have many wonderful memories. Last season we achieved important results, but adventures come to an end and new ones begin.
“It’s a new chapter for me at Inter and I am focused only on doing well here. I’d be very happy if both Inter and Roma got into the Champions League, as I remain on good terms with many of my old teammates and would like to see them celebrate.”
Would Nainggolan celebrate if he scored against Roma next weekend?
“No. I’d need about 20 jerseys to exchange with everyone. I was in Rome over the last few days and already met up with Aleksandar Kolarov and Kostas Manolas. I was meant to see Edin Dzeko too, but he was busy.
“When you experience a season like the one we had, reaching the Champions League semi-final, it creates a bond that never breaks. I hope Francesco Totti can be a key figure at Roma going forward, but then he will always represent Roma and doesn’t need an official title to prove that.”
Nainggolan has clashed with Juventus fans on social media and was asked if he’d relish beating Roma or Juve more.
“Definitely Juve! I am anti-Juventus, everyone knows that. Being subjective to negative chants does give me a sense of pride. There are many players who, when they hear Juve want them, immediately say yes, because they know that being there means winning trophies.
“However, I’ve never been eager to go there. I prefer to conquer a trophy as a protagonist rather than win a few Scudetti with just 10 games per season.”
Yet his playing time has been fairly limited at Inter this season, largely due to injury problems.
“The campaign certainly could’ve gone better. I had this muscular issue at the back of the left thigh and it was a really delicate zone to get hurt in pre-season. If I’d had a full pre-season, perhaps I wouldn’t have been struggling with so many setbacks. Instead, I never reached full fitness and couldn’t help my teammates.
“I am less satisfied with my performances than I was in other years. It’s tough, as you just manage to climb out of the hole and fall back in again with a relapse.
“I had to change some things, I’m getting older and I have reconsidered some of the errors I’ve made. I don’t necessarily mean my lifestyle off the pitch, but rather more work in the gym and specific training exercises. I’ve never had so many injuries in my career and they’ve been difficult to deal with.”