Goossens: “Great respect to Perisic, we get along well but I want his place and…”

In an interview with the German newspaper 11 Freunde, Ruben Goossens recounted what the approach to the Inter world was like:

“Hey guys, it’s me, the new guy!” This is clearly not how I introduced myself to Inter. Most of them knew who I was after all and just said, “Hey Robin—hi there.” But everyone knows that moment when you first appear somewhere and they don’t know how people will react in front of you. Most of the time, it can be weird because everyone is friendly at first or at least pretends to be friendly. Then it becomes more difficult when normal life begins. And in my case, when I’m sitting in my locker room hoping one of my new teammates will talk to me, this time it wasn’t a problem because I already knew several players and there was a lot of mutual interest, but when I arrived in Atalanta five years ago I was really uncomfortable. Now I get goosebumps. I was completely out of my comfort zone, I didn’t know what the rules were and how to act.”

“But at Inter for me, everything starts over. What you did at Atalanta no longer matters in the new changing room. Even those who get €100m have to show on the pitch that they deserve their place. I think that’s exactly how It is. He has to go, because it is the only way to always go to the extreme. So, while I was one of the oldest in the Atalanta locker room, who could have done anything, I am now the last to get to Inter, which is initially from a psychological point of view , This is a very interesting stage, because there is a certain distance on both sides when we know each other. For me, the first days are always a confrontation with myself, because I immediately want to be who I am, but at the same time I have a feeling that I have to step back The more you communicate with your teammates, the less the distance between the real me and what I reveal. But maybe it’s just a human being slowed down a bit to my ini brother.”

“There is another special case in the merger process: it concerns the direct competitor. After all, I am coming to replace someone and this usually produces negative energy. In my case, I only respect Ivan’s career. Perisic, who is a great player. We agreed right away. Very well, although obviously I would like to become a starting player and this will inevitably be at his expense. But he is like Christian Gunther in the national team, we get along very well and often hear from each other. In the end, everything is his Weight but there is also a personal area. Situations like these help you know yourself better as a person, to develop as a character and to face challenges.”