Ronaldo: ‘Inter must aim to at least return to the Champions League’

Ronaldo says his former club Inter are still “crazy”, but must aim to “at least return to the Champions League”.

The Nerazzurri are known as ‘Pazza Inter’ or ‘Crazy Inter’ because of the unpredictable nature of their results over the years.

This season they appeared to be on course for a Scudetto challenge, but haven’t won a match in any competition since December 3, with the only success in that time a penalty shoot-out win after a draw with Pordenone in the Coppa Italia.

Ronaldo knows the Beneamata and their ways well, having lost the Scudetto with them on the final day of the 2001-02 season, and he was asked why they’re now struggling.

“Because they’re crazy, no?” the Brazilian said with a smile.

“Seriously, you have to be on the inside to evaluate but looking at the league from the outside this really seemed like the right year.

“The fans were having fun for a while - even if they always want results first - and I was really content with the way things were going.

“The right year for what? Not to win the the Scudetto, but to at least return to the Champions League.

“Compared to last year Inter have improved and they’ll improve again, so they have to do everything to return to the Champions League.

“They’ve been missing from it for too long and it’s a necessary step to relaunch, in Italy and especially in Europe.

“It’s necessary this year, if it’s possible. Postponing it again would be a bad setback. The table and logic say the same thing: the season is still long.

“You can’t question everything, every time, every year: the players, the Coach. You have to believe in a project, you have to give it time to work.

“What Inter did in the first two months can’t have been a coincidence, they all said that [Coach Luciano] Spalletti was Inter’s best buy, did they not?

“Instead I agree with what ‘my’ President [Massimo] Moratti said: if he’s good, as he definitely is, it’s up to him to find the key to unlock certain players who certainly haven't been the same, and changing something if necessary.”

Ronaldo left Inter for Real Madrid in 2002, something that it’s feared Mauro Icardi could emulate this summer.

“I’m convinced that Icardi is happy at Inter, as was I even though I suffered a lot due to injuries and the goodbye wasn’t the one I wanted.

“I don’t know much about the transfer market, but I think a lot of clubs want Icardi.

“Going to Real is a dream for any player, I don’t know if it is for him.”

Ronaldo also discussed the national team, with Italy having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

“I wasn’t at home that night, when I read about the failure to qualify I was stunned,” Ronaldo said.

“In Brazil they still can’t believe it, Italy is like one of those friends you always expect to meet at a party. You can get used to anything, but this is big.

“Gigi Buffon? No-one has the right to say ‘you must continue’ or ‘you’d better stop’. I’d echo [Francesco] Totti’s words: I want him to leave football when he wants, because he will decide.”

Totti said that Ronaldo is the one player he regrets not playing with…

“I played with [Roberto] Baggio, [Zinedine] Zidane, [David] Beckham, Ronaldinho… oh yes I’d have liked to put Totti on this list too.

“I’ll share his regret, we’d both have had fun that’s for sure.”