Former Inter owner Massimo Moratti has revealed he tried to sign Eric Cantona from Manchester United, and that he wrote up Luis Figo’s contract on a placemat.
The 74-year-old was in charge of the Nerazzurri from 1995 to 2013 and brought countless star players to the club like Christian Vieri, Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Roberto Carlos and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Moratti revealed that he signed Figo on a free transfer after finalizing personal terms on the beach, and that he tried to bring Cantona to the Milan giants but ultimately failed in his attempt.
“I wanted Cantona,” he told Che Tempo Che Fa on Rai Due. “I thought he was a player that would have improved things immediate.y
“However we went on to sign other players.
“Did I write up Figo’s contract on a placemat? It’s true. Figo met me on a beach and we agreed on certain terms, and I wanted to be sure about his salary.
“There was a placemat and I was able to write down all the terms that I eventually brought to management.”
Jose Mourinho led the club to a famous Treble in 2010 but left for Real Madrid after winning the Champions League, and Moratti admits the timing of his departure wasn’t ideal.
“We understood what was happening,” he added. “I don’t think it was great to hear of his departure that night [May 22, 2010] but the next night he was at my house in Milan.
“You could say I should have stepped in that night, but I didn’t want to ruin everything. Things were heading in that direction, but the important thing was winning everything and we did that.”
