Paul - The Guv'nor

Picture a press room full of journalists, a new signing at the desk, and an executive stepping up to announce: 'I can confirm that this is not an Inter player yet. He will be in a few weeks, once we overcome the stubbornness of his wife Claire, who insisted on finding her dream house before signing off on her husband's transfer.'

The husband goes by the name of Paul Ince: twenty-eight years old, midfielder by trade. Or rather, warrior. "I prefer tackling to anything else," he once said in an interview. Even before buying Inter, Massimo Moratti went to watch a Manchester United match to scout one of his favorite players, Eric Cantona. But he ended up falling in love with Paul Ince as well, The Guv'nor, because he was the only man allowed to lay down the law in the middle of the pitch at Old Trafford. Alex Ferguson rejected the first approach, but the second one was a yes: Ince donned the Nerazzurri shirt. There weren't many Black footballers playing in Italy back then. Is the country ready? people wondered. The answer was no, or at least, not everywhere. Take Cremona, for instance. Horrific, obscene chants and completely unacceptable abuse. Ince stopped and clapped sarcastically. He was the one who ended up booked. "I think the Federation in Italy needs to take a firm stance," Ince explained in his post-match interview. "The risk is that Black players, and there are so many talented ones out there, might think twice about coming to Italy. That wouldn't be good for the game here," he added at full-time. Paul would spend a couple of seasons at Inter, leaving lasting, fond memories among the Nerazzurri supporters. "Come on, Paul Ince, Come on," they would chant for him every Sunday. Eventually, he returned home to England, where he played until he was forty. His chapter at Inter has never been forgotten.