The former Milan and Inter defender recounts his adventure as a footballer and his post-career: “Ancelotti is a visionary, in the dressing room we had elegance contests. I am an entrepreneur, we produce water bottles and I have 22 bars.”

If 70% of people drink tap water, only a madman would invest in 19-liter water bottles. Well, it depends. Dario Simic is used to going against the odds. He was a defender for Dinamo Zagreb without any outstanding talent, and from there he ended up at Inter. He arrived at Milan in a swap deal with Umit Davala—let’s say bench material—but went on to win two Champions Leagues as a key player. That time, Simic decided to invest and became the king of water in Croatia. He has succeeded in many things in life—the best being a large family with four children—and only failed to tame Zamparini in Palermo… but those are impossible missions for humans and demigods.

“From soccer. I’ll tell you something that few people know: before playing for Inter and Milan, I was close to Juventus. In 1996, I was in the office with the Triad. Me, Moggi, Giraudo, and Bettega. I was about to sign.”

And then?
“And then my family decided it was better not to go: I was twenty, it was still wartime. I came to Italy after the 1998 World Cup. Before that World Cup, Croatia was known to only 3% of the world’s population. A month later, that percentage had risen to 30%. The quarter-final against Germany remains unforgettable. In the end, we were all crying.“

At that point, Inter.
”Yes, in January 1999. It was a dream come true for me, sitting next to Ronaldo, Seedorf, Zanetti. I had never been to San Siro and the first time, against Venezia, I said to myself, ‘Come on, I’ll go warm up on the field so I can get used to it.’ But no, we warmed up indoors, so I went out a minute before kick-off and the stadium was incredible. The first time I saw San Siro was to play in it: it was crazy.“

How did it go?
”Maniero attacked a deep ball after 20 minutes and I was late. He volleyed it in, goal. I said to myself, ‘if it works like this, if you give the striker an inch, he scores, I can go home’…“.

But then, what were Seedorf, Ronaldo, and Zanetti like?
”Fun. They were dancing.”

They danced?
“Yes, it was customary at the time to play music at restaurants and house parties. The South Americans welcomed me as one of their own. Cordoba was a great friend, and Zanetti invited me to New Year’s Eve.”

And at Milan, who were you close friends with?
“I was very good friends with Pippo Inzaghi. When we went out with him, every ten minutes a girl would approach him: Pippo was number one with the girls. The group was great. They used to tell me that I was always asleep because I was a bit in the clouds, in my own world. If someone came in with unfashionable jeans, they would disappear. I also remember some underwear that was deemed not up to standard and hung up in the locker room.“

So, ranking: the most and least stylish players on the team.
”The best were Kaladze, Borriello, and Pirlo. The worst were the Brazilians… but let’s not name names.”

Among Milan’s memories, let’s choose one from 2003 and one from 2007, the Champions League years. How was the magic created in 2003?
“With the genius of Ancelotti, who moved Pirlo in front of the defense. He was a visionary, a father, an exquisite person.”

So we’ll choose the memory from 2007. Sports-Predictions headline: “Simic is unhappy and warns: ‘I’ll be moving on in January.’” Was Ancelotti less exquisite?
“I just wasn’t playing much. I started out as a three-man defender or center back; I couldn’t express my qualities as a full-back. The 4-3-2-1 formation is very difficult for fullbacks because they have no one in front of them.“

Three years later, you retired and began an eventful life. Is that right?
”Yes, I’ve been many things in these 16 years. In 2016-17, I was a consultant for Palermo, basically a sporting director, but it was tough with Zamparini. He would say to me, ‘Go to the coach and tell him to change that player,’ but I didn’t agree; you don’t do that. And you can’t change coaches every three games…“

And now?
”I no longer work as a scout for Milan or Dinamo Zagreb. My family owns 70% of the water bottles in Croatia, which are used in offices and homes. My brother and I also have 22 bars.”

So, the family. You, Jelena, and four sons, three of whom are soccer players: Roko, Viktor, Nikolas, and David. Who is the strongest?
“Roko played in the Champions League at 18 and is now at Karlsruhe. Viktor is in Slovakia, Nikolas at Dinamo Zagreb. He is very talented but also has knee problems. Nothing is written in stone in the life of a soccer player.“

How are they like their dad?
”We raised them all the same, but they’re all different. Nikolas thinks too much, like me. Roko is calm, like I was. Viktor is less like me, but he’s very eager to do things.“

Let’s talk about David?
”Sure. When he was born, they told us there was a chance he had Down syndrome. It was shocking. The next day, they confirmed it. Ten years later, David is very independent, he goes to school with an assistant, he does his homework.“

What does he like?
”Coca-Cola, his mom forbids it, but he hides and drinks it. Then pizza. He also does some sports with me. We have all learned so much from him. Without David, I couldn’t imagine life. I have learned that when he loves someone, he doesn’t count how many chromosomes they have. We, on the other hand, always count everything.”