Ronaldo Lima

Inter fans to 'deafen' Ronaldo

Inter supporters have planned 30,000 whistles to heckle Ronaldo throughout the derby, but Gennaro Gattuso assures his teammate is ready for anything.

This will be the first time Il Fenomeno has faced his former club since joining Milan and the fans have prepared a welcome that is not so much warm as incandescent.

The ‘Boys’ Ultras club have prepared 30,000 whistles to hand out at San Siro so that fans can deafen Ronaldo with the noise every time he touches the ball.

Nonetheless, teammate Gattuso is certain that the unusual situation will not trouble Ronie too much.

“Ronaldo is in good shape, wants to do well and I think he’s been dreaming about this match for a very long time,” smiled the midfielder.

“It’s only normal he’ll have an incredible desire to prove he is not finished as a player, regardless of what some might say.”

Ringhio has never scored in the Milan derby and is none too confident of his chances on Sunday afternoon either.

“I get the feeling if I hit the back of the net against Inter there would be a lot of heart attacks on the pitch! It’s better to let that thought go, nobody expects Gattuso on the scoresheet in a derby, but in football you never know.”

Milan and Roma are through to the Champions League quarter-finals, but the all-conquering Inter have crashed out against Valencia.

“Nobody can change my mind on the fact that if Inter had the entire squad at their disposal, they would have beaten Valencia easily. I think this is one of the strongest teams in Europe at the moment for the way they are set up and the type of football they play.”

Matrix ready for Ronaldo battle

Marco Materazzi was Ronaldo’s teammate and remains a good friend, but warns that for 90 minutes they will be at loggerheads.

“I fear this match will be sold as ‘Inter v Ronie’, even if he is part of the past,” said the defender ahead of today’s Milan derby.

“Ronaldo came to help Inter win and gave us some wonderful memories. He made a difficult decision and I respect him for that.

"However, after the pre-match handshake, he’d best no longer consider me a friend! I believe the same goes for him, he’ll do everything he can to beat us.”

Il Fenomeno wore the Nerazzurri jersey for five years before his switch to Real Madrid, but few expected him to return to the other side of the San Siro.

“I expect he’ll be very motivated, because the sword of Damocles is hanging over his head. He must prove that he remains Ronaldo, but we in turn will try to show he’s not!

"Today, in my view, Milan’s real star is Kaka. He is one of the most decisive players in the world and Celtic saw it on Wednesday. He is a leader, a future Ballon d’Or winner.”

Materazzi is hardly famed for his technique, but insists he has a great deal in common with Kaka.

“I can see myself in him, because hard work does pay off. He has class and technique, the gifts from Mother Nature. I have desire and determination – with those I achieved remarkable things in my career.

“In that sense, in what we have achieved, I feel myself very much the same as Kaka. We exemplify how a player can do well with different strengths. It’s a good lesson to teach children.”

Others would suggest Materazzi’s counter-part in the Milan derby is battling midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

“It’s true we both have that competitive edge. I swear Rino would give a leg rather than lose a match! Yet in Valencia, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and myself were the calmest people there.

“It was almost like a reverse reaction. When we saw that usually relaxed players like Ivan Cordoba and Julio Cruz went mad trying to defend their ‘brother’, as we consider all our teammates, then we thought to ourselves ‘This situation seriously needs to be taken down a few notches.’”

That Champions League exit hurt Inter badly and the derby after only a few days will give them the opportunity to patch up that wound.

“Of course we are disappointed, but these are two different competitions. We want to take three precious points away from Milan so that they won’t have to play the preliminary round this summer. That way we can all have a nice long holiday in the sun together,” grinned the ‘generous’ Materazzi.

“We knew the Rossoneri were one of the contenders to win the Champions League and, considering the squad, they’ll reach the Final. We will win the Scudetto that everyone says is ‘ugly’ because Roma are 16 points behind, but the same side beat the great Lyon.

“There’s one of two realities here. Either there is another Roma side in Serie A or we have done something good this season.”

OFFICIAL DERBY LINE-UPS

Inter (4-4-2): Julio Cesar; Burdisso, Cordoba, Materazzi, Grosso; Zanetti, Dacourt, Stankovic, Figo; Crespo, Ibrahimovic.

Milan (4-4-1-1): Dida; Oddo, Bonera, Maldini, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Kakà; Ronaldo.

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INTER 2 - 1 MILAN

GOALS:

40' Ronaldo

54' J.Cruz

75' Z.Ibrahimovic

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Carletto praises Ronaldo

Milan Coach Carlo Ancelotti was impressed with Ronaldo’s performance in the derby and believes he can still improve.

The Rossoneri were defeated 2-1 by Inter in Sunday’s match at the San Siro, after the Brazilian scored the opening goal against his former club, confirming that he is slowly returning to his best.

“I have always admired him as a player and working with him has strengthened my opinion that he is a great footballer, with a unique talent,” Ancelotti told Rai Radio Anch’io Sport.

“He has never played with great continuity, but when he gives his best he is decisive. I think he can still improve his condition.

“Next year he will be at his top, but I must say that I am already glad to see him playing like he did yesterday, with great motivation,” added the former midfielder.

“Ronaldo is an important man and he will be even more so next year. In any case, we are pleased with what he has done so far.”

The Rossonero also commented on Nelson Dida’s performance, as the Brazilian goalkeeper was accused by some of not doing his best to prevent Julio Cruz’s equaliser.

“Dida has made some mistakes this year, but this one is not that serious, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s cross was very strong,” explained Ancelotti.

“If we had had the strength needed to keep control of the match, the mistake would have had no influence on the final result,” concluded the Rossonero.

Milan are currently sixth in the table with 40 points, six points shy of a Champions League spot.