Barella: Champions League final defeat will 'stay in Inter's minds'

Nicolo Barella says Inter's Champions League final defeat will "stay in our minds" but is confident the team will bounce back stronger.

Inter lost the Champions League showpiece 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of May, with the French side recording the biggest winning margin in a final in the competition.

The Nerazzurri have now lost four of their last five European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals, while only Juventus (seven), Benfica and Bayern Munich (both five) have finished as runners-up on more occasions than Inter (four).

Inter were in a strong position to fight for a treble in early 2025; however, they were knocked out of the Coppa Italia semi-final by rivals AC Milan, before missing out on the Serie A title to Napoli by a point before the Champions League final.

Barella acknowledged that it was a tough result to take but believes Inter's strong mindset will help them going forward.

"It'll [the Champions League final defeat] stay in our minds – it's a loss that becomes a part of your journey in your career," Barella told DAZN.

"It's a tough defeat that stings, but in life, as in football, you need to know how to get back up, and we've shown we can do that.

"We lost two league titles by a single point and lost two Champions League finals, but, in between, we've also won. We know that football is full of highs and lows, and you always have to keep working harder to reach the point where you can compete for trophies. That's the mindset.

"The phrase 'you always have to compete' is something I agree with 100%. It perfectly reflected last season. We didn't manage to win anything, but it was a year that taught us a lot, both positive and negative. Now we want to bounce back and do our very best."

Inter have also had a change in head coach since that match, with Simone Inzaghi leaving his position to join Al-Hilal.

Inzaghi left Inter having delivered one Serie A title, two Coppa Italia triumphs, and three Supercoppa Italiana wins. He led the Nerazzurri to two Champions League showpieces, but they were beaten on both occasions, also going down to Manchester City in the 2023 final.

Former Inter player Cristian Chivu has since stepped into the position, going unbeaten in his first two games in charge at the Club World Cup.

Barella said he felt "strange" upon hearing the news of Inzaghi's departure, but was full of praise for the work Chivu has done so far.

"I already knew him – we spoke a few times after training matches in Appiano when he was managing the Primavera side," Barella said.

"I noticed his great empathy towards players – he understands what they need. Not every coach has that, and it's an important quality.

"It's a tough time for us, and he's giving us a huge boost. He's straightforward and eager to do well – there's a chance to achieve something special together."