Hakan Calhanoglu is an established name at Inter Milan. His performances last season in particular aroused interest – apparently also in Munich.
By far the most competitive games of his career, Hakan Calhanoglu has played in Milan. He made 172 appearances for Milan and 153 for their arch-rivals Inter. Calhanoglu has never regretted the switch within Milan. Quite the opposite. “From the first day at the Nerazzurri, an extraordinary journey began that shaped my career and made me the player I am today,” the 30-year-old said in a wide-ranging interview with Corriere dello Sport.
Last season, he helped Inter win the Italian league title by a wide margin, and he has already won the Supercoppa three times and the Coppa Italia twice. Coach Simone Inzaghi is “clearly” Calhanoglu’s most important coach in his career. “He recognized my quality and my intelligence on the field. He had the intuition to transform me from a center forward into a midfield playmaker. And that was the turning point in my career,” the Turk says looking back.
The first contact Inzaghi’s Calhanoglu calls ‘inspiring’. As a declared dream player, the Inter coach remained persistent: ‘He pushed me so hard to come to him.’ Neither regretted it.
Meanwhile, the constant good performances and outstanding standards aroused the interest of other clubs, including FC Bayern. When asked about the interest from Munich, Calhanoglu said: “Bayern wanted me last summer. That was the European Championship. My agent didn’t say anything to me until it was over. Then he called and told me about this opportunity. I immediately interrupted him and told him without hesitation: ‘Talk to Inter, not to me. I will only do what they want. I owe this club so much.”
In particular, sporting director Piero Ausilio has been a great support for Calhanoglu – “both on the sporting and personal level”. Ausilio had no interest in selling his midfield playmaker. “He has given me confidence and made me understand that I am an important player for Inter.”
Can Calhanoglu even imagine ending his career at Nerazzurri? “That’s my hope,” the former HSV pro clarifies, “also because I’m no longer that young. And in soccer, you never know what’s going to happen. But I’ll definitely stay as long as possible.”