Inzaghi’s last night before saying goodbye to Inter Milan

From Milan to Riyadh: inside the final hours before Simone Inzaghi's shocking move to Al-Hilal

What really happened the night before the summit between Simone Inzaghi and Beppe Marotta? Today’s edition of Repubblica via Fcinter1908 reveals the story.

“Four thousand four hundred kilometers—that’s the distance between Los Angeles and Miami. Simone Inzaghi could have been on one side with Inter Milan, but he chose to be on the other with Al-Hilal.

He’s only had three training sessions with the Saudi club.

It’s like taking a driving test in a hailstorm, at night, with no headlights. But that’s what he wanted when he chose to leave Inter Milan for one of the clubs from Riyadh.

Regarding the timing of the decision—which Inter Milan president Beppe Marotta called “unexpected and sudden”—Al-Hilal’s CEO Esteve Calzada clarified: “Everything was already decided, but we didn’t sign before the Champions League final because Inzaghi, out of respect, asked us to wait.”

So the agreement was already in place before the Allianz Arena debacle.

Even the night before the final meeting between Marotta and Inzaghi—the one that sealed the goodbye—his wife Gaia and father Giancarlo urged him to reconsider. Maybe take after his brother Pippo, who found “his Arabia” in Sicily, signing with Palermo under Emirati sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also owns Manchester City—the team that beat Inter in the 2023 Champions League final.

Or like Luis Enrique, who also chose a team from the Gulf, but in Paris: he crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in Monaco and now has his eyes on the Club World Cup.

From Champions League to Saudi heat: Inzaghi’s risky new start

Simone, who had turned down PSG’s bench a couple of summers ago, packed his bags instead, lured by €25 million (£21.3 million) net per year for two years and the promise of less pressure.

Before the dry heat of the Saudi desert, Al-Hilal will have to face the humid one in Florida. After Real Madrid, they’ll play against Salzburg and Mexico’s Pachuca.

Excluding the first match, president Fahad bin Nafel expects the other two to be victories. Because even if Calzada’s version—that “Inzaghi was the first choice”—holds true (though the real dream was Ancelotti), Al-Hilal won’t tolerate poor showings.

Inzaghi’s recent loss to PSG in Riyadh didn’t sit well. The “Arabian Nights” transfer market Inzaghi dreamed of hasn’t taken off. 

From Los Angeles, Alessandro Bastoni made it clear he’ll stay with Inter Milan. Theo Hernandez and Nicolò Barella also turned down offers.

Reinforcements will arrive after the Club World Cup. For now, against Vinicius and company, the former Inter Milan coach will have to rely on in-form players like Mitrovic and Cancelo, Koulibaly and Milinkovic—the “Sergeant” from Lazio days—who played a key role in convincing Simone to choose Riyadh, at a time when Inter Milan fans were dreaming of a second treble.