The Athletic recently published an exclusive interview with the French footballer, Toulam, who plays for Inter Milan. He expressed that although his team had suffered a 0-5 defeat in the UEFA Champions League final, they had still exhibited their combat spirit through their victories in the Italian Super Cup and the epic semi-finals against Barcelona. With the youthful restructuring of the club and the new leadership of coach Zivo, the Champions League final was by no means the "last chance" for Inter Milan.

On that same day, the NBA Finals was also reaching its climax with a game seven battle. The Oklahoma City Thunder were only a step away from their first championship since 1979. Toulam commented on this, stating that "game seven is perhaps the most moving phrase in sports." It symbolizes the ultimate showdown in a series, indicating that two teams will fight until the last moment. This feeling was deeply understood by the International Milan forward. This season, his team had played in two finals and kept the Italian league championship悬念 until the final round, truly extending the season to its limits.

The Thunder's potential championship was a microcosm of a new trend in sports in 2025: fresh faces meeting in the finals, breaking the monopoly of traditional powerhouses, and ending long championship droughts. Teams like Bologna, who won the Italian Cup after 51 years, and Newcastle and Crystal Palace, who won the English League Cup and FA Cup respectively, all showed that anyone can compete for honors. Even smaller clubs like Rans and even lower-ranked teams like Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen could compete in major cup finals. This season saw a diverse range of teams competing at the highest level.

However, on the night in Munich, things did not go well for Inter Milan as they suffered a 0-5 defeat. Toulam faced the reality squarely, stating that "that's just how it was: we faced the world's best team, something went wrong on that day, and they were in top form." He refused to make excuses for the loss or overanalyze psychological factors. "The Champions League final is always a test of ultimate strength, especially for Inter Milan which was in its second final in three years. What made it more heavy was that we had almost won the Serie A championship but ended up with nothing."

Despite this defeat, Toulam did not change his overall evaluation of the season. He recounted the highlights of their journey: competing against Napoli in the league until the final round, drawing with Manchester City in the Champions League, defeating Arsenal, and eliminating Bayern Munich from the competition. The semi-finals against Barcelona were an epic battle. "We are the only team in Serie A competing for championships across all lines," Toulam emphasized. "The audience will not forget our exciting matches against Barcelona and Bayern just because we lost in the final. Just making it out of the group stage in the Champions League is a testament to our growth."

In this era where success is often defined by wins and losses, Toulam refused to label the entire season as a "failure." He quoted the words of NBA star "Giannis Antetokounmpo" (known as "Letterman") saying, "Just like Michael Jordan won six championships in his 15-year career, does that mean the other nine years were failures?" His father had failed in both the Champions League and World Cup finals but never gave up. Toulam believes that this experience will make his team stronger: "The true essence of sports lies in both the process and the result. If I had to choose, I would prefer to compete in finals every year."

The journey of Inter Milan continues. Although some people thought at the end of last season that this aging team needed to be rebuilt, the management has already started a youthful reform. Zivo, who replaced Inzaghi, is a member of the 2010 treble winners and understands the club's DNA well. Toulam firmly believes that "this is not our last chance. Three-quarters of our players are still under contract. We are sad about this defeat, but there are still countless possibilities in the future."