Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never been short of confidence and now the former Internazionale owner Massimo Moratti has revealed what the Swede said to his team-mates as he prepared to leave the club and join Barcelona in the summer of 2009.

The Serie A side were training in the United States when the news came through that Ibrahimovic was joining the Catalans. “He was getting on a plane to Barcelona to sign for Barça after the last training with the team and he said: ‘It has been nice playing with you but you won’t win anything without me,” Moratti told Corriere della Sera on Wednesday.

However, as Moratti says, “it did not turn out that way”. In fact, the next season Inter won the treble of the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia under José Mourinho’s stewardship. Still, Moratti is very fond of Ibrahimovic. “He is an incredibly talented player and above all he makes you win titles. With us he won three straight league championships. The other day I was watching a rerun of our game against Parma in May 2008. Ibrahimovic was fantastic.”

Moratti also describes how close he came to signing Eric Cantona in 1995. Upon taking over club, his plan had been to sign the Frenchman from Manchester United and Roberto Mancini from Sampdoria and play them together up front. However, it all changed one January day at Selhurst Park.

“Then Cantona did it, in London, with me present, with this kung-fu kick of the Crystal Palace fan and then wanted to stay in Manchester while Sampdoria said that they would not let Mancini go.”