The former Inter Milan player spoke at a sports festival: "The real 2006 World Cup final? That was the match against Germany." Speaking about "The Phenomenon," he added: "Ronaldo was incomparable." And when Berlusconi's mask appeared...

Marco, 34 years old, from Levico Terme, has been an Inter Milan fan since childhood. A tattoo on his right thigh proves it: it features the Big Ears trophy (you can guess why), in two colors (spoiler: black and blue), and a boy screaming. "That's Marco Materazzi, also known as Matrix. My idol. A man who always worked hard and earned his place through effort." Marco mumbled from the front row, to the beat of his own drum. He was just one of many Inter Milan fans at Piazza Duomo in Trento who came especially to attend the MM23 event—also the title of Materazzi's new book. "I just met him, and he signed my thigh. Now I'll have to get it tattooed." The conversation at the sports festival with Matrix began in this Nerazzurri atmosphere.

From "The Phenomenon" to That Mask

Piazza Duomo in Trento looked just like Piazza Duomo in Milan. Apart from Marco, the front rows were packed with Nerazzurri fans. The moment Ronaldo Nazário, "The Phenomenon," appeared on screen, the crowd erupted. "He was the greatest player of all time. If I had to mark him, I wouldn't even touch him because I couldn't catch him. I remember going for a medical with Inter Milan and I happened to run into him at the CONI building. Guess who I saw first? Ronaldo." And when Berlusconi's mask appeared, laughter broke out again: "A few days later, I called Mr. President, and he laughed with me too. I said to him: 'Mr. President, I learned from you.' He replied: 'Don't worry.' Then we both laughed."

Victories During His Nerazzurri Years

Of course, the titles he won during his time at Inter also took up a large part of the conversation. It started with the 2007 Serie A title: "I remember I had a talk with the young players. The week before, we had the chance to become Italian champions but couldn't, and they cried. Before the match against Siena, I went to see them and said: 'Don't worry, we'll win.' I had to keep my promise to the lads, and I did." He also scored two goals. The coach at the time was Mancini: "We argued many times. He had his ideas, I had mine. I like to address things directly. But after the World Cup, he told me I was no longer a player he couldn't sell. So I thought: 'So, just two World Cup goals were enough...' After that, we got along really well. And because of that, I kept playing even with minor injuries."

Inter's Treble

The subject of the treble was, of course, unavoidable, and Marco loved talking about it too. The cover of Gazzetta dello Sport from May 23, 2010, the day after the night in Madrid, appeared on screen: "Only Inter Milan." Matrix then began his story: "I knew that year I wouldn't be a starter; I spoke with Mourinho. He didn't lie to me; I knew my role. It was to give everything and help the team. Winning the Champions League title was the perfect ending. I remember that famous match on May 5, 2002: me, Córdoba, Toldo, and Zanetti were all there. Eight years later, in 2010, we were still there." In short, that was the treble. "In Italy, only Inter Milan has done that," the former defender added. Another round of applause erupted from the crowd.

Maradona and the National Team

In the MM23 book, there's also a somewhat nostalgic and particularly valuable photo of him with Diego Armando Maradona: "He was a genuine and pure person; his passing was a great loss for world football," Matrix explained. When asked about a potential one-on-one matchup, he admitted: "Like facing Ronaldo and Messi, you can't defend against them or stop them. I watched Diego play for Lazio with my own eyes, it was incredible. Maybe he didn't train as hard as others, but on Sunday, he could win the match on his own when he woke up." After watching a video of Valentino Rossi, which was also included in the book, the topic of the national team took up a large part: "The Stadio Olimpico is the place that gave me the most emotions; it's where I became World Cup champion. But the real final of that World Cup was against Germany. From the first day we arrived, all the Italians living there told us: 'You can't lose to them.' And if I had to stay another three or four days to play for third place, I would have gone crazy."

The Current Situation

The final topic returned to the present: "Inter Milan? I've said for four years that we were the strongest team, and we really did let some titles slip away. Many doubted Chivu, but he did very well, and the results speak for themselves. When you see the whole team hugging each other, you know how much he's impacted the players' mentality." This ending made Piazza Duomo roar again: "The Serie A title? We're still stronger than the other teams..." Then a final cheer erupted from the crowd.

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