Ex Inter Milan & Belgium Midfielder Recalls Bizzare Incident During His San Siro Stint: “Fan Slapped Me After A Match Went Badly” | OneFootball

Former Inter Milan midfielder Radja Nainggolan revealed a shocking incident during his turbulent three-year stint at San Siro.

During an interview for the TV show Le Iene via FCInterNews, Nainggolan opened up on his troubled teenage years.

Known for his exuberant nature, Radja Nainggolan nearly went down a dark road in adolescence.

However, football may have saved his life.

“As a kid, I did a lot of crazy things – fights, thefts,” he admitted. “I went down that path because I had nothing and was trying to bring something home.

“My luck was leaving at 16. Otherwise, I don’t know how I would’ve ended up.”

Despite his off-field antics, the ex-Belgium international had a successful career in Serie A.

Indeed, he was one of the division’s best midfielders during his four-year stint at Roma.

Unfortunately, he never reached those levels at Inter, whom he joined in 2018 as an elite star.

Nainggolan rarely featured for the Nerazzurri before the club decided to loan him out to Cagliari to rescue his career.

However, the 37-year-old was already past his prime, and there was no way back.

Radja Nainggolan Remembers Bizarre Incident During His Inter Milan Stint

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As aforementioned, Nainggolan enjoyed an incredible spell at Roma, where he worked under Luciano Spalletti.

“After leaving Totti’s room, Pjanic and I had to cross the hallway, and there was Luciano Spalletti asleep right in the middle.

“So we tried to quietly step over him to get to our room, but he woke up and yelled, ‘Where the hell are you going?!’

“The next day, he benched both Totti and Pjanic.”

Then, he transferred to Inter, where things didn’t go his way. He admitted a fan slapped him in a nightclub after one game.

“After a bad match, I went out to a club to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

“Some ultras showed up at our table and one of them slapped me. I took it.

“That’s how I’ve always lived – on my own terms, with my freedom.”

Finally, he addressed the recent controversy linking him with drug trafficking.

“They arrested me over nonsense,” Nainggolan added. “I had exchanged some messages with Sekkaki, a childhood friend.

“According to the police, they were coded messages, but we were just talking about money I had lent him.

“Drugs had nothing to do with it, nor did gambling debts. I’m against drugs, but they painted me as if I were Escobar.

“It’s absurd. I was judged for how I live, not for what I do.

“If one of my friends does something wrong, that’s his problem, not mine.

“I’ve always spoken my mind, and maybe that’s the real problem in this world,” he concluded.