Beppe Bergomi remembered Osvaldo Bagnoli, who passed away today at the age of 91, during a live interview with Sky Sport. The former Nerazzurri captain painted a portrait of the Milanese coach who led Inter from 1992 to February 1994, leaving a deep mark on his career.

“A great man and a great coach,” Bergomi began. “On a human level, he was truly engaging, even in his manner, because Bagnoli was from Milan, I’m from Milan, and sometimes he would let slip a statement in dialect, but he really knew how to keep the group together, he had incredible humanity and was truly a wonderful person.”

The former defender emphasized how far ahead of his time Bagnoli was: “As a coach, he was light years ahead. If I think of Bagnoli, when he arrived at Inter, with his pure zonal back three, with very high wing-backs, he would be perfect even in today’s football, with his ideas and his constant pursuit of perfection. At first, the team wasn’t doing well, and he would say to me in dialect: ‘My teams have always played well and here I can’t manage it.’ And in the end, that team finished second, so coach Bagnoli was great.”

The comparison with the current Inter came naturally: “That team resembles this Inter. Today’s Inter, because it had a quality midfield, a strong defense, and the important thing was the wide players, who even then he wanted high up in line with the forwards.” Bergomi recalled an episode with Tramezzani, the left wing-back: “He told him ‘you need to stay higher up.’ And in my naivety, I asked why higher? He should stay close to us, to help us. ‘He needs to stay high.’ So, to make you understand, he was already ahead, he saw football differently.”

Arriving in 1992 with the goal of reviving the Nerazzurri, Bagnoli built a team around Ruben Sosa and came close to a memorable achievement, recovering almost 11 points behind Milan. The second season was less positive and his adventure ended in February 1994 after a total of 56 matches on the bench.

The former Nerazzurri captain shared a particularly significant personal memory: “The year before was the only year we didn’t qualify for European competitions, and the following year he arrived and I had received some offers and he said to me ‘but where do you want to go?’ And I replied ‘coach, I don’t want to go anywhere, I’m very happy in Milan.’ ‘Look, for me you’re the best – he told me – you stay here.’ I had an incredible season, but Inter had a great season, finishing second behind Milan by just a few points.”

“Osvaldo Bagnoli will always be in my heart,” concluded Bergomi. “For what he gave me and for the trust he placed in me and had in me, I tried to repay him as best I could.”

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