Samir Handanovic: “Being The Inter Captain Is An Honour & A Great Responsibility” | OneFootball

In an interview with the official Serie A You Tube channel, Inter goalkeeper and captain Samir Handanovic has spoken on a range of topics, firstly the origin of his nickname, Batman.

“They call me Batman and I like the nickname. It started after a Milan derby game five or six years ago,” he began before going on to discuss how he got into goalkeeping.

“I fell in love with goalkeeping because of my cousin. He’s six years older than me. I used to go and watch him play and that is how it all started. A keeper should be scared and like every child, a little crazy. Diving for all those shots isn’t for everyone.

“Due to my Slovenian background, I’ve had a strong work ethic. I live and feel Italian too, I even frequently think in Italian.

“When I came to Udinese and to Serie A, it was like a dream for me. Of course, at the beginning it was hard. I did not know the language and was having a hard time. I was lucky though because Udine and Ljubljana are only 170 kilometres apart so once a week I’d go home and I’d forget all my problems.

He then spoke on one of his biggest passions away from football, playing chess.

“My passion for chess started through my family. We are all really competitive. It makes you think four or five moves ahead and the more you play it, the more you learn. I never get tired of playing chess. I also play against the clock, the real aim is to think fast, even that is a form of training.

“Football is very similar to chess in that you have to think out your strategy, how to attack, how to defend. I think they really have a lot in common.”

He was then asked what are some of the favourite saves he has made in his career.

“If I was to choose my best three saves, first I’d say the one against Bologna. I parried a shot and blocked Acquafresca on the rebound. My most beautiful one though was at Palermo on an attempt by Miccoli. Then there was the save in the Milan derby last year on Calhanoglu. It was a free kick out wide, everyone missed the ball and I had to stretch out to my left. It was a very difficult save.

Next he spoke on being Inter captain.

“Being Inter’s captain is an honour and a great responsibility for me. I have to set a good example for everyone. Sometimes you have to take tough decisions and go against a teammate but you have to be fair which is the hardest bit to achieve.”

He concluded by talking on Inter’s match with Parma.

When Inter play at San Siro, we’re always favourites but past experience tells us that whenever we think it will be easy, we end up losing. Let’s see if we’ve learned our lesson. Between this year and last year, I don’t think Parma have changed that much. Their build-up play is still the same with them having three quick players up front waiting to break.

“When you’ve spent so long in Serie A, you know what to expect from each team. But in truth, when you’re out on the pitch, things can be different.”