Tragedy as Italian Legend and Former Inter Milan Superstar Sandro Mazzola Dies
- Sandro Mazzola, one of Italian football's most celebrated figures, passed away at 83 after a career spent entirely at Inter Milan
- The midfielder won four Serie A titles, two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups during his 20 years at San Siro
- Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan all released tributes to honour the Grande Inter icon
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Sandro Mazzola, the legendary Italian midfielder who devoted his entire professional career to Inter Milan, has died at the age of 83, leaving the football world in mourning.
Mazzola was a central figure in the celebrated "Grande Inter" era of the 1960s, when the club dominated both domestic and European football.
Source: Getty Images
Over two decades at San Siro, from 1957 to 1977, including three seasons in the youth setup, he scored 158 goals in 565 senior appearances for the club, always wearing the iconic black and blue of the Nerazzurri, The Sun reports.
Mazzola's trophy cabinet built at one club
With Inter, Mazzola collected four Serie A titles, two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups.
According to GOAL, he finished as the top scorer in Serie A in 1965 and came within touching distance of the Ballon d'Or in 1971, finishing as runner-up to Johan Cruyff.
One of his most memorable moments came in the 1963/64 European Cup final, when he scored twice as Inter beat Real Madrid 3-1.
After the final whistle, Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas handed Mazzola his shirt and told him:
"I once played against your father and you honoured his memory."
His international record was equally impressive.
Mazzola scored 22 goals in 70 appearances for Italy, helped the Azzurri win the European Championship in 1968, and reached the 1970 World Cup final in Mexico, where Italy lost 4-1 to Brazil.
His personal story carried considerable weight.
His father, Valentino Mazzola, was a star of the formidable Torino side of the 1940s but died in the Superga air disaster on May 4, 1949, when Sandro was not yet seven years old. Inter effectively took him in from the age of six.
After retiring, Mazzola served as sporting director at both Inter and Torino, playing a key role in bringing Ronaldo to Milan.
He later worked as a television pundit for Rai Sport and TeleMontecarlo.
Football world pays tribute to Mazzola
Inter Milan said in a statement:
"There are those who enter history. And then there are those who become the very history of Inter itself. He shone on the field, and he shines even now, the star with the moustache. Who, as he has often recounted, had just one, final wish: 'To be remembered as a good man, who always gives his all, even when it seems impossible.'"
Rivals Juventus described him as:
"a champion and gentleman of Italian football, protagonist of an era, symbol of class, style, and passion for this sport."
AC Milan wrote:
"A great champion, a flag-bearer, a man who represented an unforgettable era of our football. AC Milan stands with the Mazzola family and the Nerazzurri family in this moment of grief. Goodbye, Sandro."
AC Milan legend France Baresi passes away
In a related development, Legit.ng reported about AC Milan legend Franco Baresi, who died at the age of 66 after a prolonged illness. The Italian defender spent his entire 20-year career with the club, made 797 appearances and won 22 trophies.
Baresi captained Milan for 15 seasons and helped Italy win the 1982 World Cup.
Source: Legit.ng
