16 - INTER XMAS ADVENT CALENDAR: NICOLA BERTI

"We were in a hotel close to the station. In the morning, I heard the chant of 'E facci un gol...'. I thought I was dreaming, but instead all of these fans were there below me singing my song. I woke up with this incredible feeling that I then took onto the pitch."

A story of matches, goals and unbroken promises. The cry of “Nicola Berti scores goals” used to ring out and he would respond by netting against his opponents. He scored crucial goals, such as his strike in the 93/94 UEFA Cup final against SV Casino Salzburg, as well as beautiful goals, like his amazing 50-metre effort against Bayern Munich.

He was a man of his word: “Keep your eyes open, and you’ll see me score goals.” One of those goals was that famous free-kick he scored in the Milan Derby. He spent ten years with Inter, making 311 appearances, scoring 41 goals and making himself a key part of Inter life.

Nicola Berti perfectly encapsulated the essence of Inter: serious yet smiling, athletic and strong, capable of scoring and covering the pitch. Berti just needed to hear the word derby and he would take his game to the next level. The chant which the fans sung for him, one which Nicola loves to remember, still rings in everybody’s ears. The Nerazzurri fans always sang it: in the stadiums and on the road. They also sang it during the UEFA Cup final: they said it, he did it.