Inter, Handanovic: “I’d play the Giroud derby again. Maignan is a sure thing, Martinez has everything to prove. Provedel? I would have liked competition too”

"The derby closest to my heart? The first one. It was 7 October 2012. Samuel scored early and it finished 1-0. It was all new to me: the displays, the atmosphere, San Siro going wild. The three saves in the 3-0 win in 2021? That's what we goalkeepers are there for. It was strange, in an empty stadium."

"There are no ordinary derbies. Anything can happen, including the team in greater difficulty winning and turning a league campaign on its head. As they did the following year with Giroud. If I could replay one derby, it would be that one"

"Maignan and Martinez? Mike is a certainty, Pepo has everything to prove. All eyes are on him, and he has a heavy legacy to live up to. In goal, every mistake comes under the microscope. Character makes the difference."

"The competition with Provedel is healthy. Chivu has managed them very well, with great sensitivity, giving Martinez confidence even in difficult moments and giving Provedel his chance at the right time. Would I have wanted more competition? If I could have, it would have done me good to take a break every five or six games to recover mentally."

"The managers who taught me the most? Spalletti and Conte. The former asked me to be the extra man in the build-up. I was already ready; I knew how to play with my feet. From Conte I learnt the winning mentality, which involves the whole club. The bar is raised for everyone."

"I remained the same person, but with more responsibility. The captain's armband takes energy away from you on the pitch. You have to set an example in everything: how you present yourself, how you train, your behaviour, even your clothes. You have to be fair to your team-mates and act as a go-between with the manager and the club."

"How do you know when to retire? When you lose the fire inside. You go to the stadium and no longer feel the thrill. It wasn’t hard for me to stop; I already knew what I wanted to do. I swapped the football pitch for a padel court. During a year as a scout for Inter, I studied to become a coach. Then I coached the youth teams for two years."

"One last team after leaving Inter? De Zerbi wanted me at Brighton. I would have liked to watch him work up close, even as second-choice goalkeeper. There were talks with Italiano's Fiorentina, but nothing came of them. I'd like to return to Udine as a manager."

"What happened? I was supposed to take charge of the Primavera, but we couldn't agree on some things, including the relationship with the Under-23s, and we parted ways without any controversy. I want to follow my own path, make an impact and make decisions. Now I'm ready for a first team. I earned my UEFA Pro licence with a thesis on the evolution of the goalkeeper in the modern game.

I dream of managing Inter. But one step at a time. For now, I study the clubs I like: Fabregas's Como, Barcelona. I like achieving results through the way a team plays. I love the 4-3-3 and its variations, but formations don't matter; ideas do."

"Record number of penalties saved? Intuition and studying penalty takers, including through videos. The same player does not take a penalty in the same way when it is 0-0 in the 90th minute as when it is 3-0. In the first case, the ball feels heavier and the goal seems smaller, but not for everyone."