Light, silence and love: the final goodbye to Sandro Mazzola | OneFootball

The Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio is now empty: a powerful beam of light shines through the main window of the façade, illuminating the darkness typical of the Milanese Romanesque church and revealing the incense smoke lingering in the air at the end of the service. Everything is silent. Just a few minutes earlier, that same silence, filled with the love of family, friends and fans, had accompanied the coffin of Sandro Mazzola as it entered the Basilica.

It is a late-summer day, full of colour and life, reflected in the bustle of the neighbourhood, with countless university students coming and going. And yet this is no ordinary Monday: the sun warms the faces of the hundreds of fans and supporters gathered in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, in the beating heart and most authentic part of the city of Milano. The same Milano that today mourns one of its favourite sons, a man who gave everything for Inter and its people until the final minute of his life, in the same place where the city said farewell to Giacinto Facchetti 20 years ago and, just over a month ago, to Franco Baresi, a Milan legend.

Flags, Nerazzurri shirts from the Grande Inter bearing the number 8 on the back, scarves and banners: everyone wanted to bring something to bid Sandro one final farewell on the day of his funeral. Inter was, of course, represented by President and CEO Giuseppe Marotta, Vice-President Javier, Chief Sport Officer Dario Baccin and the Nerazzurri directors.

The Inter of today meets the Inter of the past: countless Nerazzurri Legends are in attendance, but two men in particular appear more moved than the rest. Gianfranco Bedin and Aristide Guarneri, numbers 4 and 5 of the Grande Inter, Mazzola’s teammates with whom he shared his greatest triumphs. They immediately recognise one another at the entrance to the portico of Sant’Ambrogio: a quick exchange, but one filled with affection, the kind possible only between people bound together forever. Massimo Moratti, the historic Nerazzurri President who experienced the years of his father Angelo’s Grande Inter first-hand, is also present.

There are the rivals, including AC Milan, Juventus and Torino, with their respective delegations, the colourful wreaths adorning the entrance to the Basilica and the banners displayed by the altar. The national and international football authorities are represented, with FIGC President Giovanni Malagò and Serie A League President Ezio Simonelli in attendance, as is the Municipality of Milano.

There is an entire family mourning a father, a grandfather, an irreplaceable point of reference. There are also countless fans and curious onlookers, because Sandro Mazzola was admired by everyone, and everyone wanted to offer him one final farewell, a caress, a prayer.

As the coffin arrives in the churchyard, the fans break into chants, but the emotion is clear to see. An Inter shirt bearing the number 8 is placed on the coffin, the shirt that immortalised a young Sandro from that May night in Vienna in 1964. Silence prevails: the square is packed, but after the applause, not another sound can be heard. Monsignor Carlo Faccendini, Abbot of Sant’Ambrogio, accompanies the coffin inside the Basilica, where a service is held with a depth of feeling rarely seen.

A life dedicated to Inter, a life to be thankful for and to remember forever. Because what Sandro Mazzola represents for the Nerazzurri Club goes far beyond trophies and statistics: it is a set of values to be passed down for eternity, as President and CEO Giuseppe Marotta reminded us in an emotional speech at the end of the service:

Memories are everywhere, love never fades and is rekindled on such a significant day. Before the final blessing, Monsignor Faccendini reads a heartfelt message: it is from Massimo Moratti, who wanted to remember Sandro in his own way:

At the end of the service, silence returns, the centrepiece of a powerful image: Mazzola’s coffin passes beneath the portico of Sant’Ambrogio, surrounded by white flowers and his Inter shirt bearing the number 8, completely bathed in the sunlight flooding the four-sided cloister that has led into the Basilica for almost a thousand years. The silence is filled with anticipation and grief, but also with hope. As the coffin reaches the square, another round of applause welcomes Sandro, before those gathered begin to sing C’è Solo l’Inter, with an unprecedented strength and emotion. Someone calls out the line-up of the Grande Inter from that night in Vienna, drawing the crowd in and emphasising Sandro’s name: Sarti, Burgnich, Facchetti, Tagnin, Guarneri, Picchi, Jair, MAZZOLA, Milani, Suárez, Corso. Then the chants accompany Mazzola’s coffin for one final time. For Sandro, the time has come to leave. But for all of us who believe in his values and everything he represented throughout his life, he will never truly leave us. Infinite, eternal Sandro Mazzola, forever with us.