Eder: Never clicked with Spalletti, Icardi-Wanda saga tense | OneFootball

Eder speaks again. He does so through an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he retraces the most intense, painful, and controversial moments of his career, from the 2017 World Cup playoff to the complicated relationship with Luciano Spalletti during his years at Inter.

Eder: “Never a feeling with Spalletti. Embarrassment in the locker room over the Icardi-Wanda case”

“That playoff is my biggest regret”

Eder doesn't mince words when recalling the 0-0 draw at San Siro against Sweden, the match that excluded Italy from the World Cup: “Damn playoff. The responsibilities were everyone's, but Ventura was not consistent. Belotti and Immobile played even when they were not at one hundred percent. The pressure overwhelmed us. Insigne and I were on the bench, then there was that scene with De Rossi. At 0-0, one episode would have been enough.”

Conte as coach: “With him, I vomited from the effort, but we soared”

Among the most intense memories is Euro 2016, experienced under the guidance of Antonio Conte: “With him, I vomited. Between warm-ups, tactics, gym, and physical tests, I wondered how it was possible to keep up with those rhythms. But then on the field, we were a devastating team. The tactics were practiced dozens of times. Giaccherini's goal against Belgium was one of those. And my goal against Sweden was unforgettable. With a bit of luck in the penalties against Germany, we would have won the Euro.”

Inter, an opportunity that turned into a labyrinth

Before arriving in Milan, Eder was a step away from Ranieri's Leicester: “I would have played behind Vardy, everything was ready. Mancini and Ausilio convinced me to choose Inter… and then I played very little. Leicester won the championship, but despite the difficulties, I consider it a pride to have worn the Nerazzurri jersey. I played almost ninety matches, but as a starter, maybe twenty. I had Icardi in front of me.”

“Icardi-Wanda? There was embarrassment in the locker room”

The case that marked an era, Eder remembers it like this: “There was embarrassment, it was inevitable. But Mauro was surprisingly calm.”

Spalletti, the unresolved issue: “I couldn't stand his hypocrisy”

The relationship with Luciano Spalletti is the hardest point of the interview: “It's the reason I left Inter. Top coach, nothing to say. But as a man… less so. I never tolerated his hypocrisy.”

The stint in China and the future

After Milan, the move to China with Jiangsu Suning: “We were very close with the Zhang family, but in 2020, after winning the championship, they disappeared. For months we didn't see a euro.”

Today Eder looks ahead, not ruling out a return to Italy in new roles: “I would like to become a sports director, but now I'm enjoying my family. I would have liked to end my career at Sampdoria. Sometimes I watch those goals again: they were truly different times.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.