Ronaldo Nazário reflected on the difficulties he faced on the pitch, his relationship with Inter president Massimo Moratti and the potential of Serie A.
The former Brazil international spent five years of his career with the Nerazzurri from 1997 to 2002, where he proved his qualities as one of the best players in the world, winning the Ballon d’Or twice in 1997 and 2002. Although his latter years in Lombardy were plagued by injury, Ronaldo is still one of the most celebrated players in Inter’s recent history.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ronaldo first discussed the dangerous play he used to encounter on the pitch.
“I come from a generation in which they attacked a lot on the pitch. My god. The matches were not like today when there are 15-20 cameras, in a Clásico 60, at the World Cup a thousand.
“Today you can see everything. In my day the defenders would threaten you, spit at you, step on your feet, beat you up. I grew up as a survivor.”
He suggested that he felt like a gladiator and commented on the importance of maintaining good mental health.
“I felt exactly like that. We were like warriors, they would throw us into the arena to see who came out alive. The pressure I was under was pushing me down more and more, and such a young guy doesn’t know how to behave, how to deal with such big things.
“Today all teams have a psychologist, we were alone, no one was talking about mental health. I struggled a lot, and I learnt a lot by getting slapped from all sides. Two and a half years ago I started therapy and it helped me to understand better even what I felt before.”
The 2002 World Cup winner reflected on the various club presidents he worked under.
“The best, a school of the highest level. I start from the last one, Andres Sanchez of Corinthians, today a great friend of mine, he revolutionised the club.
“And I go back to one of the first, José Luis Nuñez at Barcelona, with whom I didn’t get on well, I was only there for one year and it served to make me understand how not to do things.
“I had signed the renewal and after five days he changed his mind and tore it up, that’s why I came to Inter.
“Where I found Massimo Moratti. I had an incredible, incredible human relationship with him. He was one of the most important people in my life. How he treated us, how he spoke to us, how he cared for us.
“I also had a very good time with Florentino Perez, he started the modern era of football, with the ‘Galacticos’ and the development of the commercial area, which until then had never been exploited. He started monetising the image of the players.”
He remembered some amusing moments working under Silvio Berlusconi at Milan.
“I’ve spent very little time at Milan, but I keep great anecdotes. He used to come into the dressing room to tell us how we had to shoot corners. We hadn’t scored on corners for a few games and he would come and show us how they should be taken.
“Ancelotti, an incredible teacher who always knew everything, made us listen. He would say ‘Yes, yes, yes’. Then, when Berlusconi left, ‘let’s go back to our own stuff’.”
Ronaldo spoke about the possibility of seeing Pep Guardiola as Brazil coach.
“I’d love that, I’d be thrilled. I think a European, someone like Pep or like Ancelotti, could do something incredible for the national team and for the Brazilian football industry, he could change the history of our football for the next hundred years.”
He gave his thoughts on modern Serie A and the issues affecting Italian football.
“I watch Serie A and also Serie B carefully, because I am a football fan, but especially because I have a special relationship with Italy. The moment is complicated, but I believe that not all evils come to harm.
“The fact that Italy has not qualified for the World Cup twice in a row generates a debate about what needs to be done and I think everyone now has the solution in their heads. The league has to improve and to do that there has to be more revenue, the clubs have to earn more.
“We need to invest in youth and grassroots football, look for more local talent and find a balance between Italians and foreigners. Serie A for years has been the best league in the world and you know how to do things.”
Finally, Ronaldo discussed the high level of passion surrounding football in Italy.
“It’s true that the football industry has improved so much all over the world, but Italy has the best quality: passion. People are in love with football and this is the most important thing. Now I see that there are many foreign investors.
“It is true that Juventus, Milan and Inter have financial difficulties, but I think there is incredible potential in Italy, and I think things can improve quickly. Whoever invests in Italy today takes the clubs at a great price and their value will grow a lot.”