06/11/2002

INZAGHI: ITALY STILL BEST IN EUROPE

PARIS (Reuters) -- Prolific Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi claims that Italian soccer remains the best in Europe despite the strength of Spanish and English club football.

"It still does," he said in an interview with French sports daily l'Equipe when asked whether his country's game could again lead the way in Europe.

"Even though we're only at the start of the Champions League, AC Milan are just proving it.

"We hope that our football will again be the talk of the game. Because it needs it," added the striker who has scored 17 goals so far this season.

Since joining AC Milan from Juventus last year, Inzaghi has again improved as a goalscorer and he said he hoped to finish his career with the Rossoneri.

"I would like Milan to be my last club," he said.

"The club gave so much to me that I want to end my career with that jersey on my back," he added.

The 29-year-old striker said the environment in Milan had helped him reach new heights.

"The extraordinary atmosphere at Milan makes all the difference. It's an ideal context for me.

"That's what allows me to express myself at the best level," he said.

Inzaghi, who says former AC Milan striker Marco van Basten was his idol, warned that the former European champions are chasing honours on two fronts this season.

"We want both the Italian title and the Champions League," he said. "But if it's not possible, we'll be content with just one."

Milan last won Europe's premier club competition in 1994, thrashing Barcelona 4-0 in Athens. The last time an Italian club were European champions was Juventus in 1996.

[SportsIllustrated.CNN.com]