ZINGONIA - Inter are Italian champions for the fourth time in the Juniores Berretti category. Here are the photos of their celebrations at the Centro Sportivo Bortolotti in Zingonia, where the Nerazzurri beat Atalanta to land the ‘scudetto’!
ZINGONIA - Here are the pictures from the victory of Sergio Zanetti’s Inter side in the Juniores Berretti, as they beat Atalanta 4-3 to win the Italian title for their age group.
ZINGONIA - Sergio Zanetti couldn’t help but smile as he was interviewed on the pitch where his Inter side beat Atalanta to win the Juniores Berretti title and become Italian champions for their age group. Here’s what the Inter coach had to say to Inter Channel. "We made hard work of it in the first half, then we realised that when we play like Inter no one can live with us. I’m happy, actually I’m delighted. We’ve ‘discovered’ lads who are crazy about Inter and they show respect for this shirt by giving it everything. We’ve got a great tight-knit squad, a great family and today I wanted them all to be there, all 27 of them, but we can only pick 11 players. The credit goes to the players, the club as whole, and all the people who work behind the scenes. We’ve only been together for about 10 months but we’ve already built something special. I’ve always been very clear with these lads and I’ve tried to put across the basics. They responded in the best possible way. We were one nil down at the break but I just preached calm, and I asked my players to start playing like we know we can and as we have done throughout the season. They knew that they only had 45 minutes to try and get their hands on a trophy that Inter hadn’t won in 21 years, and when you talk about playing for Inter, with pride, for the shirt, these lads have no equals. The thing that I most enjoyed was how much interest this provoked in the first team. My brother Javier and Andrea Stramaccioni followed us and this is our win, a victory for Inter which is for the fans who have never wavered in their support. I hope to keep working well in the future and to win more trophies."
ZINGONIA - When you talk about passion and the youth academy, you need to hear from managing director and chief executive Ernesto Paolillo, someone who is always very close to the Nerazzurri youth teams. Here’s what he had to say to Inter Channel, as he celebrated winning the Juniores Berretti title, which the Nerazzurri brought home by beating Bergomi’s Atalanta side 4-3. "First and foremost I need to congratulate everyone, the lads, the coach, the backroom staff because they’ve had a brilliant season, and that’s been crowned today by winning the final. This season has been a real challenge. We had a lot of talented youngsters who we didn’t want to let go. These lads and the league campaign we’ve enjoyed have laid the foundations for next season’s Primavera side." It’s been a year full of titles for the youth academy, something Paolillo was quick to point out: "It’s been a great season, besides winning the NextGen Series, the Beppe Viola trophy, the Berretti title, the Nike Cup finals (Giovanissimi Nazionali), we’ve won 5 other league titles, which are not decided by finals. Everyone in the academy has given their all this season and this is very positive for the club as a whole, a sign that we have the basis to produce future champions." From players to coaches, it’s a youth set-up which produces talent, concluded the managing director: "From Stramaccioni to Sergio Zanetti to Bernazzini and Baresi, the youth academy is where we can build for the future."
ZINGONIA - Roberto Samaden was the first to speak to Inter Channel following Inter’s 4-3 victory over Atalanta in the Juniores Berretti final second leg in Zingonia. "It’s an extraordinary achievement, not only because we’ve won the Berretti title but because of the way we’ve approached the league this season. I’ve seen other sides win the league by fielding a Primavera side but we decided to go about it another way, with the agreement of the coach. For his part Sergio Zanetti has been terrific and has always kept the squad highly motivated. I’d like to highlight to what extent this title comes with the trademark of the Inter youth academy."
Ahead of the draw for the group phase of the Primavera league Samaden added: "We have and indeed will have other finals to play, this was the first and we’ve brought the trophy home. There has never been any doubt as to the quality of our youth academy and it’s essential for every campaign." The Nerazzurri director wanted to dedicate the win to one person in particular. "We at the Inter family would like to dedicate this to Matteo Lomolino and his family, who tragically lost his father yesterday."
