Sandro Mazzola, the Man Who Became Inter, Dies at 83 | OneFootball

Inter marked San Siro’s 100th anniversary by honoring club legend Sandro Mazzola in an official tribute, coming just as news broke of his death at the age of 83.

By a twist of fate, Saturday 19 September marked the exact centenary of the stadium’s inauguration in 1926, and the club’s statement described Mazzola simply as “Inter history.”

Marotta Leads Nerazzurri Mourning

Inter president Giuseppe Marotta, vice-president Javier Zanetti, manager Cristian Chivu, his staff and the players all joined in mourning Mazzola, whose bond with San Siro spanned a lifetime. He played for the club from 1957 to 1977, including three seasons in the youth ranks, scoring 158 goals in 565 official matches while wearing only the Nerazzurri shirt.

Marotta said: “Today another piece of Nerazzurri legend leaves us. Sandro was Inter; he came here as a boy and chose to stay here forever: one shirt, 17 seasons, an entire lifetime.” As Sandro Mazzola’s Inter career illustrates, few figures are so entwined with the club’s identity.

From Superga Orphan to Grande Inter Icon

Mazzola was just six when his father, Torino captain Valentino Mazzola, died in the Superga air disaster on 4 May 1949. Giuseppe Meazza and Benito Lorenzi helped raise him within the club, and he scored twice in the 1964 European Cup final, Inter’s first European triumph. He later served Inter as an executive and sporting director, playing a role in bringing Ronaldo to Milan. Mazzola once called Inter “like a mother to me.”

His trophy haul reads: four Serie A titles, two European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, plus 22 goals in 70 Italy caps, the 1968 European Championship, the 1970 World Cup final and runner-up status in the 1971 Ballon d’Or behind Johan Cruyff.

A Lifetime Tied to San Siro

Mazzola remained close to Inter through his Hall of Fame status and later visits to San Siro and Appiano Gentile, including the May 2024 Second Star celebration alongside Bedin and Cappellini. His stated final wish was: “To be remembered as a good man, one who keeps competing even when it is impossible to win, like in that 9-1.”