Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 7y

Ronaldo: I still have Inter Milan in my heart and hope to return one day

Former Brazil and Inter Milan forward Ronaldo has said he would be tempted by the possibility of working at the club again but has not "dreamed as far" as that happening yet.

Ronaldo spent five years with Inter, scoring 59 goals in 99 matches before moving to Real Madrid in 2002.

He is currently an ambassador for the Liga champions but told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I'm extremely happy in Madrid but I feel ready for a new, let's say managerial experience.

"That is why I am considering the opportunity of buying a club in the Segunda Division -- there are a few options -- a bit like I have done with the Ronaldo Academy, my soccer schools.

"They've had an extraordinary impact in China. Working with China these days means having unlimited opportunities.

"I've not dreamed as far [as collaborating with Inter's Chinese owners, the Suning Group], but I have always said that I have a piece of Inter in my heart."

Ronaldo recalled the reception he had received from Inter fans when he joined from Barcelona in 1997, saying: "I can still picture it now.

"When I arrived to sign at the club's headquarters, there was nobody around in the streets. Moments later, I stepped out onto the balcony as an Inter player and I could barely believe my eyes -- there was a sea of black and blue flags and people who had come just to see me."

He said that, despite the disappointment of not having won the title when Inter finished runners-up to Juventus in his first season, he would "never trade that year at Inter for anything."

"Each game was a party," he added. "The spirit of Inter was born again then."

Suning Group executives are looking to rekindle a similar spirit but have yet to make any signings this summer.

However, technical director Walter Sabatini said fans would have "big things" to look forward to, with La Gazzetta dello Sport quoting him as saying: "I can't reveal anything yet, but Inter are working. Don't worry."

Meanwhile, Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero told Radio CRC that Inter had reached an agreement to sign defender Milan Skriniar.

^ Back to Top ^