Inter Milan ready to turn page in Club World Cup opener: Cristian Chivu

Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu addresses the media during a press conference. PHOTO: AFP

UPDATED Jun 17, 2025, 10:46 AM

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PASADENA – Inter Milan’s new coach Cristian Chivu said on June 16 the Italian giants are ready to put recent history behind them, as they prepare for their Club World Cup opener against Mexican side Monterrey.

Inter kick off their Group E campaign at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on June 17 (June 18, Singapore time), just over two weeks after being thrashed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the heaviest Uefa Champions League final defeat in history.

That mauling in Munich came hard on the heels of domestic heartbreak, with the Italians finishing one point behind eventual champions Napoli after a tense title race that went down to the wire.

Chivu, who was last week named as the successor to departing Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, said the Club World Cup represented a chance to turn the page.

“You mustn’t think about the past,” he told a press conference.

“We cannot do anything about the past. You can’t change the past. So this is the end of the 2024-2025 season and it is a competition that you need to honour.”

He added: “A team like Inter comes here, and they need to be the best version of themselves that they can be. We mustn’t try to find excuses or alibis for our physical condition or our mental condition.

“We are ready. We’ve worked very hard these past few days. We’ve been trying to create a united squad and a mental and physical serenity that will allow us to have a good performance.”

Inter, who also face Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds and Argentina’s River Plate in Group E, will be lining up against a Monterrey side led by former Real Madrid stalwart Sergio Ramos, who joined the club earlier in 2025.

“We have a lot of respect for Inter,” Ramos said. “Obviously they have many more names, they’re much bigger favourites than us – but it’s also a great opportunity.

“We’re going to go toe-to-toe against every opponent and give it our all.”

The Spaniard also said that his former Real team must be considered favourites to win the Club World Cup.

PSG may have won the Champions League, but Ramos, now 39 and who also played for PSG, believes his former club Real are the real team to beat.

“Real Madrid are always favourites in the big competitions,” he said.

“Real Madrid are the best in the world, for the level the club and players have, for the mentality that’s been sewn in there for so many years.” AFP, REUTERS

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