Introducing 'Mr UEFA Cup'

Three players have won the UEFA Cup three times. Giuseppe Bergomi is among them but what sets the FC Internazionale Milano great aside is his record of 96 appearances in the competition. Former team-mate Walter Zenga is second in the list, 27 games behind, but the record of 'lo zio' (the uncle) may never be broken.

'Signor UEFA Cup'
Bergomi was just 18 when he helped Italy win the 1982 FIFA World Cup, playing a starring role in the 3-1 final victory against West Germany in Madrid. The no-nonsense defender, who spent his entire 19-year-long career with Inter, won the competition three times along with English goalkeeper Ray Clemence and former Nerazzurri colleague Nicola Berti. In doing so, Berti featured in 117 UEFA club competition matches - a record which stood until early 2002 when it was overtaken by AC Milan's Paolo Maldini. Bergomi is now a highly respected television commentator in Italy and spoke to uefa.com about the UEFA Cup past and present.

uefa.com: You must have fond memories of the UEFA Cup after winning the tournament three times?

Bergomi: I was lucky to play in a great team like Inter. We only won the Italian league once, but we played a lot in the UEFA Cup as only one team participated in the [UEFA] Champions League back then. The UEFA Cup was a very difficult and fascinating competition as there were some of the best teams in Europe playing in it.

Are there some matches in the competition that you remember with particular affection?

The finals we won were obviously great moments but I remember two other ties in particular. Against Aston Villa [FC] in 1990/91 when we lost 2-0 in England and won 3-0 in the return leg in Milan. The other was when we again overcame a 2-0 first-leg defeat by [RC] Strasbourg in 1997/98 with a 3-0 home win. On both occasions we went on to win the trophy.

Italian teams used to hugely successful in this competition but no Italian club has won the trophy since 1999. Why do you think this is the case?

The three major teams in Italy [Juventus, Milan and Inter] are almost always playing in the Champions League so Italy don't have their strongest teams involved in the UEFA Cup. Maybe we have to wait until one of the big three joins the competition after finishing third in the Champions League group stage.

Which defenders do you like the most in Europe now?

I think the Chelsea [FC] pair - John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho - are extremely good. They form a great defensive partnership, probably the best around. They are both extremely good technically and physically, link perfectly together and have strong personalities which allow them to lead from the back.

And finally, do you think Italy have a good chance to finally repeating your World Cup success of 1982?

I think Italy have a chance to win this summer, although the World Cup is very difficult and unpredictable. Everything must go well for the seven games and anything can happen. However, considering the technical level of the team, I rate Italy just a bit behind Brazil and on the same level of other strong candidates like England, Germany, France and Argentina.