Inter awarded at the Gran Galà del Calcio 2026

“I am proud and emotional to be on this stage representing such a prestigious team, one with a trophy cabinet full of achievements like these. Our task is to continue adding to these victories, which are good for the soul and remain part of history. Piero Ausilio is a colleague, a friend and a collaborator. By mutual agreement, and with great respect from the Ownership and the Club, it was decided that our paths would separate as he embarks on a new chapter in his life. On our behalf, I would like to extend our deepest thanks to Ausilio for everything he has done. The baton now passes to Dario Baccin, one of his protégés. This is a source of great pride for our Club. It is a handover that takes place while maintaining Inter's DNA, just as happened with Chivu being chosen as head coach last year. I hope clubs will always be able to nurture the talent of coaches and executives from within. The Champions League is a dream, and sometimes dreams come true. We hope this will be the right year for us. Above all else, we can guarantee our commitment and our determination to give everything in this competition. Then, like everyone else, we have the right to dream a right we want to preserve and protect for as long as possible.”

“Being here at La Scala, as someone from Milan, is incredible. I want to thank all my teammates and fellow Serie A players who voted for me to receive this award. This place is unique and special, I don't need to be the one to tell you that. Every year, you try to add something more. Last season I set the assists record; this year, I'll try to put my teammates in the best possible position to score as many goals as possible. I also want to say that my journey has been full of ups and downs, sometimes more downs than ups. My strength has been my ability to come back from disappointment. There have been many of them. As a child, my dream was to wear the Inter shirt, and I have fulfilled that dream. It's special every time I wear this shirt, it is always an honour.”

“Last season was incredible, both personally and as a team. To provide all those assists, you need teammates who score a lot: having a season like the one we had last year was incredible, especially considering how the previous one had ended. Honestly, it was incredible for us: I’m really proud of the team.”

“Last season was really good: as soon as I arrived, I played straight away, we won two trophies, and we could have done better in the Champions League. This year we’ll try to do better in Europe, but last season was definitely a very positive one, with the Scudetto and Coppa Italia wins.”

“Last season wasn’t easy. We brought in a new manager and perhaps nobody expected us to have a season like that. To win both the league and the Coppa Italia straight away… We had incredible support from everyone, the Club and the fans. To finish the season like that and then start again wasn’t easy. We’re very proud, but we’ve never repeated ourselves: that’s the objective this year. The difficulties of last year? With social media in today’s world, everyone is very good at judging and criticising: it’s our job. I also spoke with Giorgio Chiellini, he has always been a point of reference for me: his words helped me a lot in getting through that difficult period.”

“22 goals from outside the box since I’ve been in Italy? I like shooting from distance, but the secret is to work hard in silence, nothing else. We want to defend the Scudetto and do better in the Champions League.”

“I want to thank all my colleagues who voted for me. For me, it is a great honour and a pleasure. Winning again was very difficult, but in the end we continue with the same mentality and the same desire to achieve collective goals. That is the most important thing for us. We did an excellent job last season. The strength of the group made the difference: being strong together, both on and off the pitch, is what has allowed us to win and enjoy important seasons. The World Cup? I always want to play. Argentina are a team full of champions, and you must always respect the coach's decisions. I prepared myself in the best possible way and I believe I had a very good World Cup. For me, it was a chance to make amends after the tournament in Qatar. This time, I prepared in the best possible way, especially mentally. There are always plenty of rumours when you do the job that we do. With respect, you can accept anything, but when there is no respect, then it is not right. I'm honest and I say what I think, and I wanted to make that clear: respect is one of the most important things in life.”