Death of Inter and Italy legend Sandro Mazzola at 83
Inter Milan, the Italian Serie A club, announced on Saturday the death of former Italy striker Sandro Mazzola at the age of 83.
Mazzola is one of the most prominent names in Inter’s history, having spent his entire 17-year professional career with the club, scoring 158 goals in 565 matches. He helped lead the team to four Serie A titles and two European Cup crowns. He was also a member of the Italian national team that won the 1968 European Championship and reached the final of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
In a statement on its official website, Inter described Mazzola as “one of the greatest footballers in history, not only in the history of the Nerazzurri. He was part of Inter’s very history; he joined the club as a boy and never left.”
The club added via social media: “He inspired generations of Italians and brought joy to their hearts, leaving an eternal legacy and an indelible mark on our nation’s history.”
Mazzola was six years old when his father, Valentino, an Italy international and one of Torino’s stars, died in the Superga air disaster in 1949, when the plane carrying the entire Torino team crashed on its return from a friendly match in Lisbon.
Mazzola made his first-team debut for Inter Milan at the age of 18, after the club fielded a youth squad against Juventus. The match was ordered to be replayed by the Italian Football Federation after a walkover victory for Inter, initially awarded 2-0 due to Juventus fans invading the pitch.
Before that match, Mazzola had finished a school exam and then traveled to Turin to participate. As a child, he had worked as a ball boy and club mascot, before scoring Inter’s only goal from a penalty in a painful 9-1 defeat to Juventus.
He soon established himself as a key player and played a pivotal role in the club’s golden era. He led Inter to its first European title in 1964, scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the final, before helping the team retain the trophy the following season.
Mazzola retired from football in 1977, later serving as sporting director at Inter, and then holding the same position at Torino, the club where his father had made his name before his tragic death.
Inter concluded its statement: “The star with the famous mustache shone on the pitch, and his presence remains eternal to this day. As he always said, his final wish was to be remembered as a man who never stopped fighting, even when victory seemed impossible, as in the 9-1 defeat.”
