Mauro Icardi spilled the beans on why he left Barcelona for Sampdoria, his Inter hat-trick in the Milan Derby, favourite victims Juventus and being a ‘chav.’

He left Barcelona’s youth academy to join Sampdoria, although admits he wasn’t exactly a life-long fan.

“It’s true, I had to Google Sampdoria, as I’d never heard of it. A few of my Barcelona teammates were joking that I’d go to play with Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini,” Icardi told Inter TV.

Mauro Icardi spilled the beans on why he left Barcelona for Sampdoria, his Inter hat-trick in the Milan Derby, favourite victims Juventus and being a ‘chav.’

He left Barcelona’s youth academy to join Sampdoria, although admits he wasn’t exactly a life-long fan.

“It’s true, I had to Google Sampdoria, as I’d never heard of it. A few of my Barcelona teammates were joking that I’d go to play with Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini,” Icardi told Inter TV.

“It was a choice to leave also because of my playing style, as Barcelona didn’t really suit me, whereas I got on great at Samp straight away, also thanks to the presence of Pedro Obiang.

“I love to score goals against Juventus, as they are the rivals for Inter. It’s a classic fixture of Italian football against them. I scored past Juve both with Samp and the Nerazzurri.

“My hat-trick in the derby with Milan was indescribable. To complete a hat-trick by winning 3-2 at the last minute was extraordinary. I also still had the regrets over missing a penalty in the 2-2 draw last season. The affection you feel from the fans after these victories is the best thing.

“I try to watch other football matches, but it’s not easy with five kids around the house… Valentino really loves watching the games and he is a huge Inter fan, but I’m unlikely to watch a match by myself.”

Although Icardi was approached by Italy to represent the Azzurri, he always held out for Argentina.

“I will always thank Italy for what this country did for me, but I feel Argentinean and never thought of wearing the Azzurri jersey. Playing for the Albiceleste is wonderful and returning after such a long time to help us qualify for the World Cup was a dream.

“Paulo Dybala is a great friend, but a very different player to me. It’s hard to find someone of his characteristics who scores a lot of goals.”

The striker sat down with Driver Inter, a new show on Inter TV where the players are interviewed in vehicles.

“I like to drive, I’m accustomed to using very fast cars. People call me a chav because I like sportscars and expensive watches, so my teammates joke about that too, but in truth I’m not even sure what it means. I like to dress well.

“I bleached my hair recently because we were doing an interview for Argentina and both (wife) Wanda and the presenter were very blonde. I liked the way it looked, so did Wanda, but it was just for that interview. It was a bit shocking…

“I really like Radja Nainggolan as a player, but I’d never have his haircut! I like the side-parting and saw many children who copied my look, so I can’t change it now.”

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