In a decade that’s seen them go from Treble winners to mid-table and back to challengers under Antonio Conte, Samir Handanovic has been the one constant for Inter.
According to a study by the CIES Football Observatory, the 35-year-old has featured in 71.3 percent of the minutes played by the Nerazzurri since 2010, highlighting his importance to the cause.
It’s all the more remarkable when you take into consideration that Mauro Icardi slots in the second spot with just 44.7 percent, followed by Yuto Nagatomo in third at 38.2.
Danilo D’Ambrosio, who is often a forgotten figure amongst fans, comes in fourth while Esteban Cambiasso rounds out the top five.
Of note is Marcelo Brozovic, who sits in ninth spot with 32.1 percent, which shows his importance to the Inter cause along with the massive turnover that’s taken place at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the past 10 years.
The study also shows that Inter have used the second most foreign players in Europe over the past decade at 83.4 percent, behind only Arsenal, along with the second lowest amount of home-grown players at 2.8 percent, beating only Manchester City.
Inter have worked to reverse those trends since the hiring of Giuseppe Marotta, with more Italians brought into the first team along with faces like Sebastiano Esposito being called up from the Primavera.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com