Yann Sommer will return to San Siro on Wednesday wearing Club Brugge colours, not Inter’s. It is a reunion shaped by affection but also by the competitive edge of the Champions League: the goalkeeper who spent three eventful years in Milan now intends to make his former home a difficult place for the Nerazzurri.
The decision
Sommer left Inter at the end of his contract and has begun a new chapter in Belgium, where he lives in Knokke, close to the sea. The 37-year-old says the calmer rhythm suits him, with cycling trips to the beach and the training ground offering a contrast to Milan. The setting, he feels, has something of Switzerland about it.
Club Brugge, he says, operates on a model very different from Inter’s. The Belgian club gives young players room to develop in domestic football and gather major European experience, while providing facilities he considers comparable with those of leading clubs on the continent. It is an environment built for emerging talent, although Sommer has found it equally welcoming at his stage of a long career.
Retirement is not yet part of his thinking. “I feel good and my motivation is still very high,” he said. “I want to improve, train and give everything. As long as that remains the case, I will carry on. I love being a goalkeeper, so why should I think about stopping?”
His new dressing room has also brought him close to players attracting attention beyond Belgium. Sommer had only limited contact with Stankovic, but has heard strong reports about him. He was more emphatic on Nicolo Tresoldi, describing the forward as a player capable of becoming a major European striker because of his humility, professionalism and ability.
Tresoldi speaks both Italian and German with Sommer, although the goalkeeper would not be drawn on the international future of a player eligible for more than one country. He also praised Romano, calling him a highly talented player and suggesting Italy had secured an important prospect, to Switzerland’s disappointment.
There is no bitterness in Sommer’s view of the end of his Inter spell. He said the club and player jointly concluded that it was the right moment to part, and that their relationship remains excellent. He won two Scudetti in three seasons in Milan, a return that places his time at Inter among the most decorated of many goalkeepers to have passed through the club.
“I loved the Inter shirt and I loved San Siro,” Sommer said, calling the period an important stage of his career. He stopped short of declaring those years the absolute peak of his individual career, but took pride in the team’s work and in his own consistency. In his view, Inter were Italy’s leading side throughout those three years and remain so now.
He particularly valued Inter’s approach from the back. A goalkeeper at a dominant side can go long spells without making obvious saves, he explained, but still has to take important decisions that are often missed from the stands. That was the consistency he tried to bring to the role.
Sommer also accepted that criticism followed some mistakes during his third season, but treated it as part of goalkeeping. He has faced similar scrutiny at Brugge and believes experience has given him the resilience to absorb it and move forward.
Among his strongest memories are Inter’s extraordinary Champions League night against Barcelona and the two title celebrations on an open-top bus through Milan, surrounded by supporters. His principal disappointment is the lost Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, though he says the pain has eased with time. PSG, he noted, arrived considerably fresher, but the defeat cannot erase the pride Inter took from their campaign.
His ties with the club remain personal as well as professional. Sommer still speaks occasionally with Manuel Akanji, with whom he spent years in the Switzerland national side, as well as Hakan Calhanoglu, Benjamin Pavard and Inter’s goalkeeping staff. “Inter will always be home,” he said, adding that entering San Siro does not feel like an away fixture.
That warmth will not alter his judgement when he stands in the opposite goal. Sommer defended Josep Martinez, the goalkeeper who has followed him at Inter, against criticism after some errors. He considers Martinez a good goalkeeper with considerable potential and said the pressure of playing for Inter must be understood. The Spaniard, he added, deserved his national-team call-up and has earned the opportunity created by the club’s investment in him.
Sommer also singled out Pio Esposito, whom he sees as an important figure in Italy’s next generation. He praised the forward’s humility, power and physical presence, while recognising that Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram remain elite attackers of a different profile. Esposito, he believes, will play many matches because there are situations in which a side needs his particular qualities.
Inter have changed personnel since Sommer’s departure, but he still sees the same broad identity: an aggressive side with European standing, strengthened by arrivals with quality and experience. He believes they possess the level to win the Champions League.
For Brugge, the task is to turn potential into a night of precision. Sommer described a squad containing talented young players, numerous internationals and a group with strong character, even if it lacks Inter’s experience. In Europe, he said, details matter, and overcoming a leading club requires the right performance on the right night. He nevertheless believes Brugge can surprise teams at this level.
The return through the tunnel and into the open bowl of San Siro will be emotional, he admitted. But his closing message to Inter supporters made the line clear. He thanked them for three wonderful years that contained errors, trophies and unforgettable nights, calling both the fans and the club special. Then came the necessary qualification: he now represents Brugge, and he wants to win at San Siro.
