Against Sampdoria, the midfielder was the man of the match by detachment, but the evening began with touching words about the earthquake that struck his home country: meanwhile, on the pitch, Hakan continues to gain credit
It is in the most difficult moments that temper, character and personality emerge strongly. And the last week has been hard to say the least for Hakan Calhanoglu, devastated by the news and images arriving from his native Turkey, devastated by an earthquake with very few precedents and many victims. In the first game after the tremors, the midfielder had to deal with the tributes to those who are no longer with us and then he had to make an effort to give his contribution to Inter at Sampdoria. Yet another mission accomplished for him, man of the match in Genoa and increasingly leader in Simone Inzaghi’s group. Just when others show empty passes in terms of concentration and nervousness, he leads by example without even noticing.
The strength of the heart
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Starting from the beginning, Calhanoglu’s Monday began well before the Sampdoria-Inter kick-off, because in the pre-match he and the coach showed up on the television microphones. With a very delicate thought for his native country: “I thank all my team-mates – the midfielder’s words – and the Inter family who have been close to me, I have received many messages from fans. We had a very strong earthquake, seeing certain images is not It was easy. We are doing everything to help these people, we have to pull together to get out of it faster”. Sentences weighed and delicately pronounced, as if not to interfere with the thoughts dedicated to his compatriots, almost imitating the silence that accompanies excavations among the rubble at home, in the hope of hearing requests for help for other miraculous extractions. Then the pitch: warming up with the “Pray for Turkiye” shirt – also worn under the uniform during the match – and the banner dedicated to him by the fans. “Close to Syria and Turkey – the writing -, Calha one of us”. Finally, the touching minute of silence for the earthquake disaster, which began in absolute silence and concluded with a touching unanimous applause. Take a heart, torture it and put it back in its place: Hakan’s state of mind a few minutes after the kick-off, with shining eyes betraying tears held back with difficulty.
mvp
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And then the real field, that of 90 minutes of play and the points to be won on the field. Back in charge despite the gradual return of Marcelo Brozovic, again with the midfield scepter in his hands. There could be every excuse for having one’s head elsewhere, for a moment of disorientation, for a fleeting concentration. But nothing: Calhanoglu was the best on the pitch, continuous and constant, ready to give yet another confirmation of Inzaghi’s correct choice. Hakan started strong like all of Inter and, when his teammates got nervous about the lead that never came, he took the team by the hand trying to drag them over the Sampdoria obstacle. He almost didn’t succeed, with two powerful shots that narrowly missed Emil Audero’s post. That shirt was ready to be shown to the camera for a composed celebration, it didn’t happen. But who knows how much anger there was in those conclusions with goal-scoring ambitions. “Life goes on,” he said before the match. But a kick to the pain had to be given.
February 14th – 10.31pm
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