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'Eliminating Barcelona Felt Better Than Winning the Champions League' – Massimo Moratti

According to a report by Barca Universal on Thursday, October 29, 2026, former Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has revealed that eliminating Barcelona in the 2010 Champions League semi-finals gave him greater satisfaction than winning the competition.

Speaking about Jose Mourinho’s move to Real Madrid and Ronaldo Nazario’s transfer from Barcelona to Inter, the Italian businessman reflected on the club’s historic treble-winning campaign.

Moratti recalled Inter’s memorable semi-final victory over Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona during an interview with AS, as cited by SPORT. Mourinho’s side eliminated the Catalan giants before defeating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Inter secured their third European Cup title through two goals from Diego Milito against Bayern. However, Moratti revealed that his favourite moment of the entire campaign was still the victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou.

“I was happier at the Camp Nou. I celebrated reaching the final even more after eliminating Pep’s Barça than after beating Bayern 2-0 at the Bernabeu,” Moratti explained, describing the experience as sensational and unforgettable.

The former president also discussed Ronaldo Nazario’s move from Barcelona to Inter in 1997. He recalled that negotiations were relatively straightforward because he considered the fee requested by the Spanish club reasonable.

“Barcelona decided on a fee. I didn't think it was high, but maybe they did. The price was right, and I thought it was fascinating," Moratti remarked.

He added that Barcelona later regretted allowing the Brazilian forward to leave, while Ronaldo was reportedly delighted to begin a new chapter of his career in Italy.

Moratti also spoke about Mourinho’s departure from Inter for Real Madrid in 2010. Despite the Spanish club’s fierce rivalry with Barcelona, the former Inter president insisted that he held no resentment towards the Portuguese manager.

According to Moratti, he was unwilling to stand in the way of Mourinho’s ambition to manage in Spain, as the former Chelsea and Inter coach had always wanted to experience football in the country.

Barcelona and Inter share a long history of rivalry in European football, although Moratti is no longer involved with the Italian club.

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