Montero stated in an interview with Flashscore that he was close to joining Internazionale, but Lippi asked him not to sign and to go to Turin immediately, ultimately leading him to Juventus.

When Atalanta decided to sign me, they hadn't even seen me play in person. They evaluated me based on five or six scout reports from our training camps in South America and Spain. I arrived in Bergamo in April, but I couldn't play for the first six months. The club wanted me to learn the language first and get used to the city and the team. I quickly settled in. Montevideo is a small city, and its pace of life is very similar to Turin or Bergamo, so it was easier for me to adapt there than in big cities like Rome or Milan.
Speaking about his move to Juventus, Montero said: "This is a story I often tell. Initially, I met with Facchetti and Mazzola several times, preparing to transfer to Internazionale, but we didn't reach an agreement during the first meeting. Two days later, they contacted me again. I didn't have an agent at the time, so I went to Milan alone and reached a verbal agreement. After some time, my family and I were in Bergamo when I received a call from Lippi. He asked me not to sign anything with Internazionale and to go to Turin immediately to meet him. I left that night with my brother, and around midnight, we signed the contract with Juventus and Luciano Moggi."
When asked about the strongest Juventus team he played for, Montero said: "The team when I first arrived was very strong. However, I firmly believe that the team after Edgar Davids joined, along with players like Zidane, Del Piero, Filippo Inzaghi, Vieri, and Deschamps, was undoubtedly the strongest team I ever played with."
Regarding Juventus' winning mentality, Montero stated: "Of course it existed. High-ranking officials like Moggi and Giraudo were important, but the ones who instilled this mentality in us daily were mainly the core Italian players in the locker room: Peruzzi, Ferrara, Conte, Pessotto, Di Livio, Tacchinardi, Torricelli, and Lombardo. They conveyed a 'family' feeling. In such an environment, that mentality naturally forms. I remember a typical incident: in a training match, one team was leading 5-0 at one point, but then conceded a goal in the last minute. I saw some teammates kicking bags in anger. They emphasized that there should be no lapse in concentration, as it would affect Sunday's match. Concentration should start building from Monday: for true champions, playing a final at the Bernabéu should be no different from playing an Italian Cup match in a small town stadium."
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유벤투스
인테르나치오날레
Paolo Montero
Marcello Lippi
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