Cast your mind back to Inter’s Week 30 clash with Parma last season. It was a 2-0 win for the Nerazzurri that virtually sealed the Scudetto and started the countdown to glory. If you saw that game then you cannot fail to remember the first goal that was scored by Maxwell. Having picked the ball up in midfield, he beat his man before exchanging passes with Hernan Crespo, stepping past three defenders in the box and lashing home. After a year on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, this was his moment in the spotlight. Maxwell had arrived.
After that goal came even more minutes on the pitch and he eventually ousted Azzurri star Fabio Grosso from the left side. It proved a wise decision from boss Roberto Mancini and the Brazilian hasn’t looked back. With Italy’s World Cup star now out of the picture after being sold to Lyon, Maxwell has an opportunity to make the position his own this term – and he doesn’t plan to let things slip.
“I’m sad that things didn’t turn out better for Fabio, but that doesn’t change my situation at all,” he insisted. “I still have to keep giving my best and improving. I’m not going to be handed a starting place, especially now that Cristian Chivu has arrived and can play in my position. He’s another ex-Ajax man so he has something in common with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and myself. The Swede is certainly the most fun teammate to be around.”
Playing for the Amsterdam giants proved to be an excellent experience for the defender, which is unsurprising given their record at developing youngsters. “As well as discipline, I developed a love of the technical side of the game and a will to have the ball,” he insisted. But moving to Inter proved to be a real step up in class. “The quality of players and sides in Serie A is amazing. But it just made our Scudetto party even better. The joy we experienced in Siena was my best memory of last season.”
The No 6 is hoping to break into the Brazilian national side in the coming season, especially now that Roberto Carlos is out of the picture. Although he admits that the ex-Real Madrid ace is the player he most admires, his heroes back home were Romario and Udinese legend Zico. However, the first thing on his mind this season is more glory with the Nerazzurri. “Our objective is simple – win the Champions League,” he stated. “Coach Roberto Mancini is the key to our strength, while we have Luis Figo as our on the pitch leader – not forgetting Javier Zanetti – and the massive personality of Marco Materazzi too.”
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