Diamanti: I was close to joining Inter Milan, but Mourinho is not interested in me. Pirlo is a football genius

 9:09am, 29 September 2025

Former Italian international Diamanti was interviewed by the Milan Sports Daily, during which he reviewed his past player career. Diamanty currently lives in Australia and serves as the youth team coach for Melbourne City.

Once had the opportunity to join Inter

"Morati wanted me, and when I received the call, I thought it was a joke. He said I was the new Recoba and had to play for them. But then Mourinho came, and he was not interested in my name, so he finally chose other players."

Juventus and Napoli were also interested

"Napoli were interested in me when I approached Inter and a few years later. Juventus was later. At that time, the national teammates were pushing for my transfer, but some of Conte's remarks made me unhappy, so I refused. However, I did not suffer from insomnia."

Finally joined West Ham United

"The whole process was like a movie. I was When in Livorno, the club president didn't want to let me go. On the day of the transfer deadline, we negotiated in his office, and finally, I signed the contract at midnight. "

Leaving the Premier League is wrong? "It was a wrong choice, but I had no regrets. I chose to go back to Italy for the national team. Lippi told me that in order to have a chance to enter the national team, I had to play in Italy, so I went to Brescia. "

Entering the national team through hard work "We are a very outstanding team and reached the 2012 European Cup final. Plandelli gave me a lot of opportunities and realized my dream." "

not selected for the World Cup lineup

" Many people said I should have him I am so angry, but I am only grateful to him. I never go with the flow, I just follow my own beliefs. "

As a coach, Diamanti also sticks to his philosophy

"I will focus on technology and player management. I used to be a real troublemaker and cannot receive training without passion. If a person believes in himself, he can do anything. Players need to express themselves freely."

Pirlo

"He is a genius, and he can handle it perfectly no matter what kind of ball you give him. We played 50 games together, and he was the best player in 48 of them."

About free kicks

"Pirlo is too strong, he can adjust his playing style according to position, and he can always Goals. Zola was also very good at West Ham United and could kick the fallen leaves. "

Ballotelli

" In 2012, he was one of the strongest strikers in the world. His shot was extremely threatening and the goalkeeper could escape at the end of training. "

Childish idol Baggio

" To me, Roberto Baggio is football. I imitated everything about him, even changing shoes and wearing colorful armbands. When I accidentally met him in Bologna, I hugged him for two minutes. Before I went back to Australia, I would meet him. "

Why choose Australia

"This reflects my personality - freedom, enthusiasm, and full of vitality. I never chased money, just playing for people."