- Joined
- Jan 9, 2015
- Messages
- 14,381
- Likes
- 28,531
- Favorite Player
- Dumbfries
He is an absolute legend and Interisti through and through.Goes into the HOF.
————
MARCO MATERAZZI INDUCTED INTO INTER HALL OF FAME: “A DREAM COME TRUE”
MILAN – Marco Materazzi has been inducted into the Inter Hall of Fame. The defender, who was born in Lecce on 19 July 1973, is the second former Inter player to receive the honour as part of the 2021 edition, after Gianluca Pagliuca was inducted last month. Materazzi joins a trio of defenders who had already had the prestigious accolade bestowed upon them: Javier Zanetti, Giacinto Facchetti and Giuseppe Bergomi.
The announcement of the winner in defence takes us one step closer to completing the 2021 inductees. Votes were cast in November to determine the four winners, with one announced per month. A midfielder will be inaugurated in February, while a forward will complete the line-up in March.
“Tutti pazzi per Materazzi” (we're all crazy about Materazzi) was a memorable chant that the Nerazzurri faithful always sang to welcome the defender on to the pitch, with the fans showing once again that the connection is still strong, as they voted the man nicknamed Matrix into the Hall of Fame in recognition of his status as the most famous number 23 in the club’s history. Materazzi registered an impressive 20 goals from defence in 276 appearances for Inter during a decade of glory.
His debut was on 27 August 2001 against Perugia, the club where he set a record for the most goals scored by a defender in a single Serie A season, having notched 12 goals in 2000/01 (one more than Daniel Passarella and two more than Facchetti).
Materazzi scored 20 goals for Inter, half of which came in 2006/07 straight after the World Cup. Having helped Italy reach the top of the world, Matrix led the Nerazzurri to Scudetto glory, notching a crucial brace in the title-clincher away to Siena. A goalscoring defender who was dangerous in the air and had a bullet of a left foot, Materazzi battled as hard as anyone in every game and endeared himself to the Inter faithful with his passionate celebrations.
A haul of five Scudetti, four Coppe Italia, four Italian Super Cups, one Champions League and one Club World Cup is quite staggering, with Materazzi also playing a key role in the treble-winning year as he played in the Coppa Italia final against Roma and in the final league game of the campaign against Siena. He was even brought on in stoppage time of the 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Madrid to shore things up and show the world his relentless passion for Inter.
“Being inducted into the Inter Hall of Fame is a dream come true for me. I’m so proud to see my name alongside legends such as Javier, Giacinto and Beppe. They really made history!” explained Materazzi.
“I’ve always had a special relationship with the Inter fans. I feel I’ve always set a good example and they’ve done the same with me. The most important thing for the supporters is giving your all for the jersey. I wasn’t born an Interista, but I’ll certainly die an Interista! It’s a privilege and an honour.
“The moment in my career that makes me the proudest is when I became a world champion as an Inter player, as well as being the only player in the club’s history to date to have been a world champion with Italy and with Inter.”
Grande Matrix!
Inter legend Marco Materazzi says the Nerazzurri switched off at a precise moment during the Milan derby and admits that he’d like to see Dybala join the club from Juventus.
Inter and Juve meet at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Sunday night in a key match for the teams’ title ambitions. The Nerazzurri have dropped since the start of the year seeing Milan climb to the top of the table, while Juventus are just one point behind them, although Simone Inzaghi’s men have a game in hand.
“Now Inter must find their lost way. Juve are more compact at the moment,” Materazzi told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
“Nobody can afford to lose, only one result is possible.
“Inter lost their certainties when Brozovic slid in the derby, Sanchez lost the ball and Milan scored. It all changed from there. It’s almost like they switched off. Fear and uncertainties came in.
“The Nerazzurri were in an ideal position before the derby,” Materazzi continued.
“Now Milan are ahead and have enthusiasm, the others have stopped a little. However, Inter have quality and big teams emerge in difficult moments. When things go badly, you must remain united and remember your strengths.”
Inter have been linked with signing Paulo Dybala who could start on Sunday night. Would Materazzi like to see La Joya wear the Nerazzurri shirt?
“Uh! So much!” he admitted.
“Maybe Juventus have been trying to correct the mistakes from the past. They went all-in with Ronaldo and it was no good for them. Arrivabene was called to balance the books, so Juventus had to take certain decisions. However, Juventus made a great signing, with Vlahovic, they have sorted out the attack for the next seven or eight years.”
Who could be the decisive player in the derby d’Italia?
“I’d be glad if it was Nicolò Barella. Now he is struggling, but if Inter are up there it’s because of him and his endless runs. Otherwise, I’d like Alessandro Bastoni.”
Materazzi was recently inducted into Inter’s Hall of Fame following his ten-year spell at the club. The former centre-back played 276 games with the Nerazzurri, scoring 20 goals. He won 17 trophies during his playing career, including one Champions League and a World Cup.
I think thats not what he wanted.... Like the dude went on to play and coach in India....I think we should have utilized Matrix more then we have since he left the club. Having him in the backroom staff especially in those years right after the treble could have helped a lot with the locker room in the banter years.
...several years after leaving InterI think thats not what he wanted.... Like the dude went on to play and coach in India....
Damn somehow that got eclipsed from my memory... thought he went to india straight away.......several years after leaving Inter
Glad to see him happyMarco Materazzi believes Inter can win the Champions League because ‘the pressure will all be’ on their opponents in the Final, while he gives Milan some reassurance with a quick slam on Juventus.
The Nerazzurri won the semi-final 3-0 on aggregate against their arch-rivals, following up the 2-0 first leg result with 1-0 last night decided by Lautaro Martinez.
Treble-winner Materazzi was in the Curva Nord to enjoy the experience along with his former teammate Wesley Sneijder.
“I had no doubts we would go through. There was a little tension at the start, but the only real attack was from Rafael Leao,” Materazzi told InterTV.
“I thought the referee was excellent, as he let the game flow. Inter were the best team and deserved to go through.”
Simone Inzaghi’s side will play either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the Champions League Final in Istanbul on June 10.
“Now this will be fun, because the pressure will all be on the other side, probably even more so if it’s Manchester City, because Real Madrid are more accustomed to it.
“We need the perfect performance, making the most of the few situations we create to bring the trophy back to Milan.”
Despite their recent domination of the Premier League, Manchester City have never managed to win the Champions League, losing the 2021 Final to Chelsea.
“If you keep eight clean sheets in the Champions League, that means you are mature to win that trophy,” insisted Materazzi.
“We must go to Istanbul solid, happy to have achieved an objective that until recently was only a dream.”
However, the World Cup winner does have some reassurance for his Milan cousins, largely so he can hammer their mutual rivals Juventus.
“We gave Milan a mental hammering and now it won’t be easy for them to get back into fourth place. Mind you, that is unless those who ought to be penalised are indeed penalised…”