Altobelli turns 70: "Inter is my family, my everything" | OneFootball

Thick, curly hair framing a lean figure in the penalty area, the No. 9 on his backup: Alessandro Altobelli was one of the most recognisable and influential players in Inter’s long history. A ruthless centre-forward with an instinctive feel for goal, Spillo’s dreams were painted in black and blue from the very beginning, from the day he was born: 28 November 1955, exactly 70 years ago.

Today Altobelli celebrates a milestone birthday, marking decades that are inseparable from the story of Inter itself. The team he adored as a child, kicking a ball around in Sonnino in the province of Latina, became the club with which he would write some of the most iconic chapters of his career.

Joining Inter from Brescia in 1977 at just 21 years old, Altobelli went on to spend eleven seasons in the black and blue, becoming the second-highest scorer in the Club’s history. Spillo scored 209 goals in 466 appearances, averaging 0.45 per game — extraordinary numbers for a striker whose tally is bettered only by Giuseppe Meazza in Inter’s all-time rankings.

His life revolved around scoring goals, and was one that also delivered unforgettable success. With Inter, Altobelli won the Club’s 12th Scudetto in 1979/80 — the last title clinched by a team made up entirely of Italian players. That remarkable campaign, led from the top of the table from Matchday 1 (a win over Pescara on a weekend marked by eight draws elsewhere), sits alongside two Coppa Italias, both sealed by Spillo’s goals: in the 1977/78 final against Napoli and again in 1981/82 against Torino.

Those victories were born from the strength of a special group — a squad bound by a friendship that proved unbreakable, enduring to this day:

A technically gifted forward, strong in the air and blessed with an innate instinct for goal, Altobelli also lifted the 1982 World Cup with the Italian national team. Today, on his 70th birthday, Spillo looks back on his career, reminiscing with anecdotes, episodes and stories full of colour in an exclusive interview – a special gift for all Inter fans, who can relive the legend of that tall, curly-haired No. 9 who scored 209 goals in black and blue.

Warmest wishes to Alessandro Altobelli on his 70th birthday from FC Internazionale Milano and all Nerazzurri supporters!