Sneijder: Inter can send Real Madrid a message, but only one player from the Treble team makes the cut
Quick summary
Wesley Sneijder believes Inter can send a message to Real Madrid in their upcoming fixture, but says only one player from Inter's 2010 Treble-winning side would start for the current team.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceWesley Sneijder feels Inter can ‘send a message’ against Napoli and Real Madrid, but insists only one current player ‘might’ have made it into the Treble-winning team of 2010.
The retired midfielder spoke to reporters as he attended a sponsorship event and was inevitably asked about the upcoming tests for his old club.
That includes hosting Napoli in Serie A at San Siro, then visiting Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Sneijder looks forward to Real Madrid vs. Inter MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 29: Coach Jose Mourinho and Wesley Sneijder of Inter FC during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Inter Milan at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 29, 2009 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) “Facing Napoli allows you to prepare better for the Champions League, as the players know they must be at 100 per cent,” Sneijder told reporters.
“Inter can send a message to the world. Beating Napoli and getting a result against Real Madrid, they would launch their candidacy to reach the Champions League Final and win the Scudetto.”
Sneijder was in the 2010 team that won the Treble under Mourinho, along with current Nerazzurri coach Cristian Chivu.
“He arrived at Ajax at age 20 and straight away became captain, while at Inter we shared a room and he only ever talked about football, he was quite dull,” explained the Dutchman.
“I always knew he’d become a great coach, even then he was saying that he wanted this to be his profession. He already had some difficult moments, but after two or three months, the team really started to grow.”
MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 20: Coutinho, Cristian Chivu and Wesley Sneijder of Inter Milan celebrates after the first goal during the UEFA Champions League group A match between FC Internazionale Milano and Tottenham Hotspur at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 20, 2010 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) Inter won the domestic Double last season of the Scudetto and Coppa Italia, but Sneijder has little time for comparisons to 2010.
“The current squad is nothing like the Treble team, we truly had everything then, it is not a group that can be repeated. None of the current team would make it into the 2010 side. Well, maybe Lautaro Martinez.”
ROME, ITALY – MAY 13: Mattia Zaccagni of SS Lazio competes for the ball with DFanzel Dumfries of FC Internazionale during the Coppa Italia final match between SS Lazio and FC Internazionale at Stadio Olimpico on May 13, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images) This Champions League trip to the Bernabeu will also represent a reunion with Denzel Dumfries, who made the move from Inter to Real Madrid this summer.
“When Real Madrid call, you go. Now he has to do better than he did at Inter, because Real Madrid is a bigger club,” replied Sneijder.
“There is a lot of pressure on the team, but Dumfries has quality and if he reached that level, it is also thanks to Inter.
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What happened
Former Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder has given his assessment ahead of Inter's meeting with Real Madrid, suggesting the Nerazzurri have what it takes to trouble the Spanish champions. However, he was blunt about the current squad's standing compared to the 2010 Treble winners, naming only one player — widely understood to be Lautaro Martinez — who would break into the legendary José Mourinho-era side. Sneijder's comments frame the upcoming Champions League tie as a measuring stick for the current Inter generation, while acknowledging the gap to the club's historical peak.
Chance analysis
Sneijder's framing turns a routine preview into a referendum on the current Inter side. By holding the team up against the 2010 Treble winners, he raises the bar while still endorsing Inter's credentials against Real Madrid. The implicit message for supporters is that this is a transitional Inter — capable of competing at the highest level, but not yet the finished article. For anyone tracking the club's European trajectory, the comparison provides a useful lens on where Simone Inzaghi's project stands relative to its peak.
Inter's upcoming Champions League meeting with Real Madrid is positioned as a statement fixture, but Sneijder's comments temper expectations by highlighting the gap to the club's Treble-winning peak.