The Devil In Me

This week Federica Capitanio, 24, from Milan talks us through the Italian perspective.

Do you follow English football?

Sometimes, I always follow what happens with the English teams in the Champions League and occasionally the Premier League too.

How does English football compare to Serie A?

Italian football is much more violent, they want to hurt each other. It is different for the supporters too, we don’t buy merchandise so much, maybe only the club flag sometimes.

What was the last United match you saw?

Manchester United vs Manchester City. It was a good match, but City were very bad. Now they think they are going to be big, I am not so sure.

What do people in Italy think of MUFC?

Italian teams are very worried when they have to play Manchester in the Champions League because they are always very strong. AC and Inter can win maybe but people think a little bit differently after the game against Roma. That was a major result in Italy. I hope Man U beat Inter this year. I hate Inter.

What do you think of Mourinho?

He never seems to smile but I think he is a man who knows what he wants. I prefer Mourinho to Mancini, he was too soft, nobody really respected him.

Do you think Ronaldo is the best player in the world.

No. I think it is Ronaldinho, not just because he plays for AC but because when he is healthy it is just such a joy to watch him play. It really is a pleasure.

Who do you think will win the Champions League this year?

Probably Manchester, anybody but Inter to be honest. United have probably go the best team this year.

What do you think of Rooney?

I saw him playing for England, I have to say I don’t really like him much. He is always angry, I think he is still too young maybe.

Is English football the best in the world?

No. It is Italian. We are the world champions and that is a good reason to think your football is the strongest. But Spain have the strongest team right now, they have a lot of really good young players.

Tell me about the Milan lab?

It is not a mystery, it is just a very good system. Every single player has a personal doctor, the whole complex is very advanced. It is why we can keep players like Maldini playing for longer.

Is Maldinin Milan’s biggest hero?

Baresi is the greatest for us. He also has the same birthday as me so I like him even more.

What do you think of first when you hear Manchester United?

Ferguson. He always wins. He has been there for a long time, we all know about him.

This is the first installment of a new section in which I shall be interviewing football fans from around the world about United.

Andre Mendes, 20 years old, Sao Paolo, Brazil

Do you follow English or European football?

The Brazilian players. Mostly I watch Italian soccer there are more Brazilian players there. I saw the cup final between Manchester and Chelsea in the Champion’s League.

What did you think?

Really good, very emotional. It was one of the best matches I have ever seen. Everybody expected a lot from Ronaldo. I also remember the game in 2005, Liverpool vs Sao Paolo. We beat them. Before the game Gerrard said “it will be easy”. Everybody in Brazil was very angry about this. We don’t like Gerrard.

What do people in Brazil think about MUFC?

They are one of the biggest teams in the world and they have a lot of friends in all countries.
People love Man U. It is common to see people wearing the shirts, especially Rooney and Ronaldo. And there are a lot of Tevez fans.

In Brazil?

He was the player of the year when he was at Corinthians. A great player.

Do you think Ronaldo is the best player in the world?

Actually no. For me its is Kaka or Messi, but Ronaldo is on the same level. He did nothing for Portugal against Brazil.

Who do you think will win the European Cup this year?

Milan have an amazing team but they are in the UEFA cup. Manchester maybe, Chelsea maybe, Barcelona are having a good season.

Do you like Scolari?

Yeah, he is the second best after Luxembergo. Scolari will train Brazil again in 2014.

What do you think of Rooney?

Sometimes immature, but he is a wonderful player. That’s why a lot of fans in Brazil wear Rooney shirts. He has a lot of fans in Brazil.

Do you think English football is the best in the world?

Alongside Italian maybe. This is the big problem. We have a lot of great players but we sell them to Europe. They are trying to make a law to prevent it. I don’t know what we’ll have in the future. In America, we are the best for sure.The best thing about the league in Brazil is that you never know who will win the championship. You don’t see this in other places.

Anderson?

He is really good. He has a bright future. We expect a lot from Anderson in the future along with Pato in Milan and Lucas at Liverpool.