Muntari hungry for success at Inter

Ghana’s soccer star, Sulley Muntari, is hungry for success at his new club, Inter Milan.

The 24-year-old with a powerful left foot who played in Italy for 5 years for Udine, then had a year with Portsmouth in England, spelt out his ambitions at Italian Seria A champions, Inter Milan, when he granted an interview to one of Italy’s leading sports newspapers -‘Corriere dello Sport’.

Speaking on his transfer from Portsmouth, Muntari said: “Now I am different .... my beard has grown a bit (he said laughing). But jokes aside, I was a boy when in Italy and needed assistance, my parents comes for six months to assist me. I have more experience now and look matured but it does not finish there. Here at Inter, I want to win,” and adds, “I have an incredible hunger for successes and if you ask me my preference between winning the Italian league trophy and the European Champions League my response would be, both.”

Muntari recounted his encounter with Patrick Vieira, Inter’s ace midfielder, when asked who he knows among his new team mates before arriving in Milan. “I have played against many of them whilst at Udine but the one I talked to is Patrick Vieira. We came into contact last year at Cannes in a clinic where both of us were recuperating from injuries. He invited me to dinner and we talked for some time.”

When confronted that Inter Milan thought about him after the club was unable to sign Frank Lampard from Chelsea he melted down the question saying he does not feel like a second choice. The Ghanaian star indicated that before arriving at Inter Milan, the club’s coach, Jose Mourinho, talked to him explaining the situation. “He told me that if the club is unable to sign Lampard he wants me. I understand I am the second choice but it does not weigh on me. Lampard remains a big star player but now at Inter it’s me, I want to do well with this team,” the Inter newly signed pointed out.

Muntari was full of praise for the club’s Portuguese coach, Mourinho, and says he has always been the same in character as a coach and does not see the reason why he has to change his mentality. Also he went on saying that at Inter there are big stars like in Chelsea, players who knows what is derived from them from the coach and added: “I feel very well with the society and with my new team mates. Have found fantastic players and working likethis is more easier.”

Muntari who caught the eyes of clubs authourities featuring for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup in Germany during the interview, walked ‘Corriere dello Sport’ briefly down the past when he was spotted by Udine in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina. “The authourities of Udine club saw me and became interested. We beat Brazil with Adriano and Kaka but lost the final to Argentina. The adaption in Italy however was not easy but was lucky to have Luciano Spalletti (Udine’s Coach) who took me far. Above my name he called me ‘Chiquita’, like banana. Why he chose to call me that way he never told me,” Muntari said. It’s believed the Ghanaian earned the name because of his curling and clinical passes on the field of play.

Under his experience at Udine, again he expressed his gratitude to all his coaches especially Spalletti saying it was he who gave him confidence to display his talent. “I was young and his advises helped me. He gave me more than one possibilty to display my value and when in difficulty he was always there for me.

To have a coach like him is a positive thing,” he reiterated his point on Spalletti and added he is not surprised when the coach was employed by A.C Roma. “If a player is good it’s normal he goes to a big club, it is the same for a good coach,” he asserted.

When asked about coming August 24 when he will offiicially wear Inter’s shirt against Spalletti’s A.C Roma in the first match of the Italian league this season, Muntari replied: “We will meet like adversaries, it will be fine if I will embrace him voluntarily. On the field of play I am a player of Inter and will do my best to help my team mates.”

As his attention was drawn that his ex-coach, Harry Rednapp, has said to subtitute him at Portsmouth he needs 2 - 3 players, the Ghanaian nippy midfielder took it all in saying: “I thank him very much. At Portsmouth I felt well and we won the English FA Cup but my dream is to sign for a big club. When I was presented with the possibility to come to Inter, I did not want to miss the opportunity.”

Sulley Muntari whose ability first came to light in youth tournaments whilst playing for Liberty Professionals in Accra was also asked about Mario Barwuah Balotelli, born to Ghanaian parents in Italy but raised by Italian foster family. The 18year old who has started his trade with Inter’s juvenile team is torn between featuring for the national team of Ghana or Italy. Muntari had this to say about Balotelli: “The decision to choose between Ghana and Italy is Balotelli’s choice because it is his life. If he plays for Ghana I will be happy because he has a big potential and he can become great, otherwise there’s no problem,” and he adds, “Mario is a good boy and makes me laugh. Mancini, Ibrahimovic and Dacourt makes fun of him but he takes all in his strides.”

In the concluding part of this interview, Muntari was asked also if he has demanded any advise from his national team mate, Micheal Essien, at Chelsea about working with Jose Mourinho and he replied: “He talked good about Mourinho. Advise? He only told me never to make him angry because when it happens the whole squad suffers. So I hope not to see him angry”.