MUDINGAYI: “INTER, BETTER YOU THAN MILAN. NOW I WILL GIVE BLOOD.”
Coming on loan with right to purchase: today signature and medical. “I fear no sentence.”
Appiano Gentile – A Spaccamontagne (one that can knock down mountains) is enormous, fearless and temperamentally gentle. He is, above all, the perfect addition to complement and protect Fredy Guarin and all the exuberance offensively of this team. That Spaccamontagne is Gaby Mudingayi. Yesterday morning during training at Appiano Gentile, there was already an Inter shirt with his name. “Really? What number? This is beautiful, really beautiful…” smiles Gaby. Mudi will still have a contract at Bologna until 2014 and yesterday, he was there to treat his recent injury. Gaby has played in Italy for eight seasons and is waiting for the loan move to Inter to become official (750 thousand for the loan, another 750 to sign permanently) and that Inter will give him the OK for his medical and the signature.
Mudingayi, so here we are.
“What missing is not a lot and I am really happy and ready to sign. When you are 30 years old and you get a proposal like this, from Inter, you can only thank those who gave you this opportunity and stay who you are.”
So let’s start with the thanks.
“To Bologna, the city and the club. The entire city has always shown me respect and the club for helping me to make this important step.”
Staying who you are, what does it mean?
“In these eight season in Italy, I think they all appreciate me for one thing and that I always give my best. My first commandment in football is to ‘honor the shirt.’ I am willing to give blood for the club that I play for. It happened everywhere and it will continue to happen here.”
You, along with several other Bologna players, were heard from the prosecutors in that game between Bologna and Bari.
“It lasted for five minutes. They asked me if I heard anything about that story, I said no, absolutely nothing.”
Are you afraid about the sentence?
“I repeat: there is nothing in this situation, from close or from afar. Everything was written well in the evidence.”
Inter are…?
“One of the biggest clubs in the world, one that knows how to win and for a player at 30 years of age, one that represents a huge opportunity, enormous, impossible to refuse. Thinking about the Sucdetto? Sure you can.”
Meanwhile no Champions League but there is the Europa League, the one competition that you could be on the players list.
“I played in the Champions League with Lazio and if everything goes well, I hope to be there again next season.”
For you, there was also Milan.
“And Napoli as well. But when Federico (Pastorello, his agent) told me that also Inter wanted me, I had no doubts. I wanted Inter.”
When was the first true contact?
“Around three months ago.”
Do you know anybody at Inter?
“I know everyone on the field and one in person: Handanovic. We were together at Lazio.”
You arrived in Torino in 2004 and if everything goes well, you could be celebrating 10 years in Italy with the shirt of Inter.
“I own it to Italy because it gives me everything. I became a better player here, my wife is Italian and my two children were born here.”
There are many big names leaving Italy.
“I would never move away from this country. In the past, my agent talked about other clubs from abroad but I always said to wait because I always wanted to be here, to play here.”
A shirt with your name appeared at Appiano Gentile but without a number.
“I have always used the number 26.”
That is Chivu’s.
(laughs) “I know, I know. I will find another one, no problem.”