The current Inter continued its increasingly frustrating run without a league title, which had stretched since their last Serie A triumph in 1988â89 under Giovanni Trapattoni, led by the German trio MatthĂ€us, Brehme, and Klinsmann.
By the 1995â96 season, Roy Hodgson, an Englishman managing a powerhouse like Inter in Italy, had made quite a name for himself. He guided his Inter side â featuring Youri Djorkaeff and Paul Ince â to the 1997 UEFA Cup Final, where they faced Schalke 04.
However, the German underdogs won the final in Milan on penalties. Frustrated Inter fans pelted Hodgson with coins and lighters. The final turned out to be his last match in charge, as he subsequently left to become manager of Blackburn Rovers.
"I donât know why he didnât stay here, but if thatâs what he wants to do, I wonât stand in his way," said Massimo Moratti with a shrug.
Inter had done their best by offering him a new contract, but the English coach allowed his deal with the club to run out.
After things settled down, Massimo Moratti and Martin Edwards exchanged pleasantries with Richard before transitioning into a discussion â with David Dein speaking alongside Edwards, and Moratti conversing with Richard, during which the Inter chairman vented his own frustrations.
"How about you?" Moratti asked, leaning back in his chair. "I heard things arenât going so well on your side after some of your players left."
Manchester City were indeed facing a turbulent few weeks. In fact, Inter had shown little concrete interest in Cityâs roster â apart from an early inquiry about one player, Ronaldo, which was swiftly rejected.
There had also been light discussions about other players such as Zanetti, Cannavaro, and Shevchenko, but nothing materialized. Despite several exploratory talks, there were no formal offers from Inter, and most of the proposals that did arrive from other clubs were only in line with the playersâ market values.
As a result, Richard ultimately chose not to sell any players to Inter, instead allowing Shevchenko to join one of their domestic rivals at the playerâs own request.
When Moratti heard the news, he was visibly disappointed â but that didnât stop him from continuing his pursuit of several Manchester City players. The Inter chairman had never been one to back down easily when it came to transfers.
When Richard found out about Interâs renewed interest, he was momentarily speechless.
"Inter is
still
looking to buy players?" he said, half laughing, half in disbelief. "Youâve already got over thirty players in your first team! Are you running a football club, or planning to invade Serie B as well?"
Richard then shook his head before offering an explanation.
"Itâs not that I donât want to sell," he said. "But the players just donât want to go to Inter."
Richard explained, feeling somewhat helpless. Some players, like Capdevila, wanted to return to Spain; Shevchenko had already gone to Milan, and Neil Lennon was heading to Celtic. They simply didnât see Inter as an attractive option.
Even Steve Finnan, who was also on his way out, had been asked by Richard if he wanted to be offered to Inter. But he declined, saying he wanted to be a regular starter â something that wouldâve been impossible in Milan. He admitted he had considered it briefly, but after taking one look at Interâs star-studded lineup, he backed out immediately.
The heated exchange between the two left Edwards and Dein visibly uncomfortable. For a brief moment, both men seemed to share the same thought:
Could you two lower your voices?
There wasnât much real business being discussed between Richard and Moratti. It was less a negotiation and more a volley of flattery and frustration â two passionate men circling the same topic without ever truly meeting in the middle.
"With a lineup like yours â Recoba, Moriero, Dejan, Baggio, Simeone..." he said, pausing for effect. "Youâve just won the UEFA Cup and finished second only to Juventus in Serie A. So tell me, whatâs the goal for the new season?"
Everyone around the table knew the answer before Moratti could even speak. Expectations were sky-high â all of Europe was waiting to see Inter Milan finally deliver on their promise in the Champions League.
"As long as weâre not put in the
group of death,
we definitely have the strength to reach the knockout rounds," Moratti said confidently. "After that, it all comes down to the luck of the draw."
Upon hearing this, Richard kept smiling and nodding politely, but Martin Edwards and David Dein exchanged quiet, skeptical glances.
âLuck?â
After reaching the knockout stage, which of the top eight clubs could ever be considered a
soft target
? The room fell silent for a moment, filled with the kind of unspoken understanding only football men shared.
Then Moratti leaned forward, returning the question.
"And what about Manchester City?" he asked with a grin. "Do you have confidence in defending your title this year?"
The mention of the English Premier League and the Champions League drew everyoneâs attention. A few heads turned toward Richard, curious to hear his answer.
He smiled modestly.
"Itâs difficult to defend a title," Richard admitted. "First, we need to make sure we qualify from the group stage. The team is still finding its rhythm â weâre adapting."
Across the table, Martin Edwards let out a quiet snort.
City had already beaten Manchester United in the second fixture of the season, yet here was Richard downplaying his teamâs form. True, their performances in the last three matches hadnât been particularly convincing â but who could say they wouldnât hit full throttle after this?
Richard noticed Edwardsâs reaction and let out a small chuckle, deciding not to press the issue any further.
âProbably still a bit sensitive because of the Murdochâ ,
he thought to himself.
As the draw ceremony began, Lennart Johansson â Richardâs old acquaintance and the current UEFA President â took the stage. With his familiar calm authority, Johansson launched into a speech praising the continued growth and spectacle of European football over the past yea
When the moment came to announce the UEFA Best Team of the Year, the honor went to Manchester City.
OâNeill immediately stepped forward alongside Richard, both of them applauding enthusiastically.
Still, some people in the audience couldnât help but exchange glances â as if suggesting that City had earned the award more through luck than merit.
After all, to the outside world, City were still seen as the
dark horse
that had defied all odds â the club that had risen from relative obscurity to conquer Europe. Their dramatic run in the Champions League, culminating in that unforgettable final against Real Madrid, had been nothing short of a modern football fairytale.
They had produced some of the most thrilling matches of the season, full of tension, resilience, and flashes of brilliance. Even the traditional powerhouses â Madrid, Milan, and Juventus â could only nod in respect. For once, everyone seemed to agree that City truly deserved the title of Europeâs Best Team.
That was last season.
This season?
Letâs see.
During the group stage draw, Manchester City were announced as one of the top seeds â the first name pulled from Pot 1. Their logo flashed brightly on the big screen as the host moved to the next draw.
Moments later, the next ball was opened.
"Internazionale Milano!"
The room fell quiet for half a second before a murmur spread.
Several heads immediately turned toward Richard â and then to Moratti.
The two men exchanged looks, neither smiling.
Just a few minutes earlier, they had been talking like old friends â joking, venting about transfers, even wishing each other good luck in the Champions League. Now, theyâd just become direct rivals.
Moratti looked stunned for a moment, then forced a polite smile.
"Well... second in the group can still qualify," he said, half-joking.
Richard gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, sure."
He didnât want to keep talking. He knew full well that only two out of six second-place teams would advance. Nobody wanted to leave it to luck.
The lighthearted atmosphere between the two vanished instantly. They sat quietly as the rest of the draw continued, both pretending to focus on the stage.
Richard leaned back and muttered under his breath, "Damn UEFA... damn Johansson..."It wasnât that he really believed in conspiracies â but the timing felt a little too perfect.
Inter and City in the same group? What were the odds?
When the draw finished, Richard scanned the screen again.
Group C: Manchester City, Inter Milan, Sturm Graz, Spartak Moscow.
Moratti blinked, rubbed his eyes, and turned to Martin Edwards beside him.
"Wait, so itâs City, Inter, Austriaâs Graz, and Russiaâs Spartak Moscow?"
Edwards nodded. "Thatâs right. Not bad. As long as you donât lose to City, youâve got a good chance of topping the group."
Moratti nodded, but stayed quiet. Graz and Spartak were no pushovers, but they werenât elite either. Still, flying to Russia wasnât exactly anyoneâs idea of fun.
David Dein leaned over and whispered to Richard, "Did I hear that right?"
Richard sighed. "You did."
"Not happy?" Dein asked with a grin.
"Not at all," Richard muttered. "Moscow away... thatâs brutal. Couldnât they have put us in a Central European group?"
Everyone around him chuckled â they knew he had a point.
Traveling from Manchester to Moscow was a nightmare in terms of logistics and fatigue. One match might not seem like a big deal, but Richard still remembered how the trip to Kyiv last season had drained his players.
A tired squad, a sluggish league performance, and dropped points â all because of travel. Not to mention the added fatigue from the Boxing Day fixtures later on.
As the ceremony came to an end, Richard shook off the frustration and stood up to shake hands with the others.
David Dein gave a wry smile. "My drawâs no picnic either. Kyiv, Lens, and Panathinaikos. Long flights, tough atmospheres."
Richard chuckled. "Then congratulations to both of us."
He then turned to Moratti. They shook hands briefly â no jokes, no smiles this time. They both knew what was coming.
Finally, when Richard was about to shake hands with Martin Edwards, he spoke first. "Congratulations, by the way."
Edwardsâs mouth twitched. He stood up with a scowl. "Were you doing this on purpose?"
Richard glanced at the big screen and gave a wry smile. "Fine. Forget I said anything."
Group D: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Barcelona, BrĂžndby. Someone at UEFA really mustâve been having a laugh.
"Tough luck, Martin," Richard added, trying not to grin.
"Donât act so innocent," Edwards shot back. "You sure you didnât have anything to do with this?"
It wasnât an entirely baseless suspicion â after all, not everyone knew how close Richard was with the current UEFA president.
Richard raised both hands in mock surrender. "If I did, Iâd have made sure to avoid Moscow."
Edwards rolled his eyes and sank back into his seat, muttering under his breath.
Within minutes, journalists were already typing up headlines.
Group of Death â thatâs what theyâd call it.
Three European giants in one pool, and one unlucky Danish team fated to be cannon fodder.
As for City and Inter, everyone knew their reunion would be one of the most anticipated fixtures of the tournament. Old friends turned rivals â drawn together again, not by choice, but by the cold hands of the UEFA draw.
Or maybe, just maybe, not entirely by chance.