Inter Milan: Sandro Mazzola, double European champion, dies at 83

Sandro Mazzola, a key figure in Inter Milan and Italian football, passed away on Saturday, September 19, at the age of 83 after a long illness. The club, where the former attacking midfielder spent his entire professional career, announced his death in the morning.

As captain and face of Helenio Herrera’s “Grande Inter,” Mazzola won four Serie A titles, two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups with the Nerazzurri. Notably, he scored twice in the 3-1 victory against Real Madrid in the 1964 European Cup final.

Joining the Milan club at a young age, he played 17 seasons at the highest level before retiring in 1977. Mazzola made 565 appearances for Inter, a longevity that has established him as one of the club’s historical symbols.

With the Italian national team, Mazzola earned 70 caps and scored 22 goals. He won the 1968 European Championship on home soil and later reached the final of the 1970 World Cup, which Italy lost to Brazil. In 1971, he finished second in the Ballon d’Or behind Johan Cruyff.

The son of Valentino Mazzola, captain of the Grande Torino who died in the Superga air disaster in 1949, Sandro Mazzola later held several leadership roles in Italian football and worked as a consultant. On Saturday, Inter paid tribute to a player who remained loyal to the same jersey throughout his career.