Former Inter and Fiorentina midfielder Borja Valero believes that his former teammate Romelu Lukaku’s understanding of Antonio Conte’s playing style is what makes the duo so fruitful, allowing the striker to rediscover form after some difficult season.
The 39-year-old officially retired from football in June 2023 but played his final season as a professional footballer in 2020-2021 with Fiorentina. Before that, he had spent three years at Inter, watching the Belgian international reach his peak under Antonio Conte.
While Borja Valero admits Lukaku’s recent struggles may have had an ‘impact’ on him, he’s convinced that the peculiarities of Conte’s football can help him revitalise his career once again, as he still ‘makes a difference in Italy’.
Borja Valero: Lukaku ‘reborn’ with Conte, Zielinski ‘best years’ at Napoli
“Certainly, the path of these past few years, even on a psychological level, must have had some impact on him,” Borja Valero told Cronache di Spogliatoio, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.
“In my opinion, this has made him change a bit, he has definitely matured.
“But when he’s with Conte, he seems to be reborn, because he understands Conte’s style of play very well, which is focused on two strikers. And when you have a striker like him, who really makes a difference in Italy, I believe it’s very important.”
The ex-Viola player also mentioned two current Inter players when asked to name his favourite midfielders, despite admitting that Piotr Zielinski’s ‘best years’ came when he was playing for Napoli.
“I’ve always had a huge soft spot for Zielinski,” the Spaniard added.
“Now we see him at Inter, but his best years were at Napoli. He’s a player of a higher level than the rest.
“Then obviously, Calhanoglu, I believe he’s among the best. I really like how he interprets his role. And even though he’s not exactly a midfielder, I really like Suslov from Verona. I think he’s a very interesting player.”
Borja Valero racked up 82 Serie A appearances for Inter but left the Nerazzurri the season before they won their 19th title to join Fiorentina for a second stint, as he played 186 league games in total for the Viola.
