NAPLES - "There are games that can't be compared to others. The ones against Inter are matches I'd gladly avoid, and every time I play against Mourinho, it always leaves something special." Gabriele Oriali, Conte's current right-hand man at Napoli, describes the thrill of reuniting with the Portuguese coach, who was a key figure in the Nerazzurri's 2010 treble with him.
For Oriali, the Benfica-Napoli match isn't just a Champions League match, but a bridge between past and present: on one side, Antonio Conte, with whom he shared two Scudetti at Inter and his experience with the national team, and on the other, José Mourinho, with whom his relationship goes far beyond the simple role of coach. “Two of them call me Gabriele, my mother and José…”, the manager told Gazzetta dello Sport, fondly remembering the special relationship with the Special One.
When Mourinho left Inter, Oriali also left the club. "I would have stayed. Inter is my second skin. I don't count the successes of my various careers, as a player, as a sporting director or general manager, but I know that with Inter I won 8 of the 20 Scudetti.", he explains, confirming how the bond with the Nerazzurri colours goes beyond any role or title won.
Regarding the two coaches who have marked his career, Oriali observes: We're talking about champions on the bench. Coaches who know how to shape their teams to the point of capturing their very soul: for Mourinho and Conte, players would throw themselves into the fire, and that's not just a figure of speech. Coaches possess strong human values. They transcend. With Mou, we've already faced challenges as adversaries, but never as enemies.
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