Inter Defender Stefan de Vrij: “Antonio Conte Is A Born Winner, Romelu Lukaku Is A Genius” | OneFootball

Inter centre back Stefan de Vrij has sang the praises of Inter manager Antonio Conte and also shared his belief that he will get better as a player in the coming seasons.

He started the interview with Inter owners Suning’s PPTV Sports channel by discussing his surname and its meaning.

“The correct pronounciation is ‘De Frei’ and it means ‘the free’,” he began.

Next he was asked whether he preferred living in Milan or Rome,

“That is a difficult question, because I feel at home in Milan but Rome is also an amazing city, where I had a great time. Perhaps my favorite place is the Colosseum, it is beautiful. Every time I went there I was impressed. Favourite food? Pasta with pesto.”

de Vrij proceeded to sing the praises of fellow Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni, who has had a first team breakthrough this term.

“First of all I must say that Bastoni is an extraordinary and funny guy. He is still very young but he has been able to perform at high levels. He has a lot of potential, I tell him to keep working on himself and improve every day to get the best out of himself.”

Stefan de Vrij was then asked what he thinks of Inter manager Antonio Conte.

“I like him a lot, he’s very strong technically. He knows how to prepare for matches very well and how to prepare for us. His mentality is impressive, he’s a born winner who hates to lose and he knows how to convey those feelings to the players.”

The former Lazio player then went on to explain what he kept himself occupied with besides keeping fit during the lockdown period.

“We were forced to stop due to Covid-19 for several months. To stay fit we did individual exercises and programs. Besides that, I watched movies and read books. There was nothing else to do.”

de Vrij then spoke briefly on how he would personally rate his performances during the course of the season.

“It went very well, every day I tried to improve myself. I think I will do even better in the coming seasons.”

de Vrij was then asked whether he taught national team teammate and Juventus player Matthijs de Ligt Italian and he spoke on the relationship he has with him.

“He is taking lessons, I think he is still doing them now. There has been a good relationship between us since the first day we met in the national team, now we are in a different country together. Sometimes we go to dinner together or do something together. A beautiful friendship was created.”

Next he spoke on Inter teammate Romelu Lukaku who speaks a number of different languages, something that has certainly helped him when conversing with teammates from different countries.

“He’s very good, he already spoke French and Spanish so it was a little easier; but it was impressive how quickly he  started to express himself in Italian. I think he’s really a genius.”

In conclusion he was asked about the strong support that Inter have in China.

“I want to thank them for their support. Last year we saw how many there are ourselves and I thank them. It was a special and unforgettable year.”