According to a report by Barca Universal on Thursday October 29, 2026, the elimination of Barcelona in the 2010 Champions League semi-finals, according to Massimo Moratti, the former president of Inter Milan, was more satisfying to him than winning the competition.

Discussing Jose Mourinho's move to Real Madrid and Ronaldo Nazario's arrival from Barcelona, the Italian businessman reflected on Inter's historic treble-winning campaign.

Moratti reflected on Inter's historic semi-final triumph over Pep Guardiola's Barcelona while speaking to AS, as cited by SPORT. In the semifinals, Mourinho's squad defeated the Catalan powerhouses, and in the final, they defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Inter won their third European Cup thanks to two goals scored by Diego Milito in the match against Bayern. But Moratti did say that his favorite part of the whole season was still beating 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. He described the experience as sensational and unforgettable.

The 1997 transfer of Ronaldo Nazario, a legendary Brazilian footballer, from Barcelona to Inter was another topic of discussion for the former president. The transfer, he recalled, was not too complicated since he thought the asking price from the Spanish club was fair.

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 elaborated by saying that after the deal was finalized, Barcelona came to regret it. Supposedly, Ronaldo couldn't have been happier to start a new chapter in his career in Italy.

Additionally, Moratti discussed Jose Mourinho's 2010 transfer from Inter to Real Madrid. Even though the Spanish club was bitterly rivaled by Barcelona, the ex-president maintained that he held no grudges against the Portuguese manager.

Moratti claims that Mourinho was not going to stand in the way of Mourinho's desire to play football in Spain, since the latter had always wanted to do so.

Barcelona and Inter have a long history of rivalry in European football, even though Moratti is no longer associated with the Italian club.