Farewell to Sandro Mazzola, icon of the ‘Grande Inter’

Sandro Mazzola has died at the age of 83. The news was announced by Inter, who, in a lengthy statement, remembered him as “one of the greatest footballers in history. Not just in Inter’s history”. 

Born in Turin on 8 November 1942, Mazzola was six years old when he lost his father, Valentino, in the Superga tragedy in 1949. He grew up in Milan with his brother Ferruccio and soon became a sort of mascot for Inter, mentored by two legends, Giuseppe Meazza and Benito Lorenzi. He made his first-team debut at the age of 18, on 10 June 1961, in the replay of the Juventus v Inter match played by the Primavera side. It ended 9–1 to the Bianconeri, but the Nerazzurri’s only goal was his. Under Helenio Herrera, he found his perfect role between midfield and attack. His breakthrough came on 27 May 1964, at the Prater in Vienna, in the European Cup final against Real Madrid: two goals in the 3–1 victory that gave Inter their first European triumph. After the match, Ferenc Puskás gave him his shirt and told him he was a credit to his father. In 17 seasons with Inter, he made 565 appearances and scored 158 goals, winning four league titles, two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. He was the top scorer in Serie A in 1965 and in the European Cup in 1964. In 1971, he finished runner-up in the Ballon d’Or, behind Johan Cruyff. With the national team, he was European champion in 1968 and a World Cup finalist in 1970. In Mexico, he played in the ‘Match of the Century’ against West Germany, which the Azzurri won 4–3, and was the star of the famous one-two with Gianni Rivera, which divided Italian football.

After retiring in 1977, he remained linked to the club as an executive and sporting director. Among his key contributions was the role he played in Ronaldo’s arrival in 1997. In recent years, he continued to visit the club’s headquarters and Appiano Gentile, and in May 2024 he was on the pitch at San Siro for the celebrations marking the club’s second Scudetto. The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malagò, speaks of “a legend” who turned an illustrious surname into an equally illustrious story. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani describes him as "one of the most romantic figures in Italian football". Javier Zanetti dedicated a message to him on Instagram: "I owe you so much, Sandro". CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio has called on all federations to observe a minute's silence at this weekend's events.