Handanovic: “I dream of managing Inter. Here’s why I said goodbye in the summer. De Zerbi wanted me at Brighton, Italiano at Fiorentina”
Not just the derby, but the past and future too in an interview with the Slovenian goalkeeper
For Samir Handanovic, leaving Inter did not necessarily mean retirement. In a lengthy interview with Repubblica, the former goalkeeper and captain described opportunities that came his way but fell through at the last minute before he decided to hang up his gloves.
Today, the former goalkeeper has also left Inter as a youth coach, following disagreements over the summer about the move from the Under teams to the Primavera. He still dreams of one day taking the managerial job currently held by his former team-mate Cristian Chivu.
Farewell to football
"How do you know when to retire? When you lose the fire inside. You go to the stadium and no longer feel the thrill. For me, it wasn't hard to stop; I already knew what I wanted to do. I swapped the football pitch for the padel court. During a year as a scout for Inter, I studied to become a coach. Then I coached the youth teams for two years."
De Zerbi and Italiano wanted me
"Last team after leaving Inter? De Zerbi wanted me at Brighton. I would have liked to see him work up close, even as second-choice goalkeeper. There were talks with Italiano's Fiorentina, but nothing came of them. I'd like to return to Udine as a manager."
The departure in the summer
"What happened? I was supposed to take charge of the Primavera, but we couldn't agree on certain things, including the relationship with the Under-23s, so we parted ways without any ill feeling. I want to follow my own path, make an impact and make decisions. I'm now ready to take charge of a first team. I earned my UEFA Pro licence with a thesis on the evolution of the goalkeeper in the modern game."
I dream of managing Inter
"I dream of managing Inter. But one thing at a time. For now, I study the clubs I like: Fabregas's Como, Barcelona. I like achieving results through the way a team play. I love the 4-3-3 and its variations, but formations don't matter; ideas do."
