How did former Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho treat the locker room janitor when he was in the midst of winning the treble with the Italian club?
According to former first-team trainer at the club, Stefano Rapetti, everybody was the same to Mourinho: “From the head chef to the locker room janitor, they were all treated the same way by Mourinho, one of the best coaches.”
Ask Rapetti about Italy’s misunderstood forward Mario Balotelli and he can’t suppress a smile. “I worked with Balotelli for three years – two years in the junior team and one in the senior team before he left (for Manchester City).
“The vision he had on the field... he was one of the best. It’s very easy for the media to say he’s crazy but he’s not. Because the media don’t know what happened to Balotelli when he was young, it’s easy to paint a picture. “When he was young and growing up, he used to hear the phrase ‘you are black and you can’t do anything’ hurled at him and he just used it as a shield which made him more determined.”
Balotelli was the first black player to represent Italy at a major football tournament.
