From the Guardian · · 3m
Sandro Mazzola, Inter's greatest forward
The Italian striker who won two European Cups with Internazionale and nearly lifted the World Cup in 1970 has died aged 83.
In brief
The Italian striker who won two European Cups with Internazionale and nearly lifted the World Cup in 1970 has died aged 83. Mazzola overcame childhood tragedy to become one of football's finest forwards, spending his entire 17-year career at Inter and helping Italy reach the 1970 World Cup final. Originally reported…
Inter's greatest forward dies
Sandro Mazzola, the Italian striker who won two European Cups with Internazionale and reached the 1970 World Cup final with Italy, has died aged 83.
Born into tragedy
His father, Valentino Mazzola, captain of Torino and Italy, died aged 30 when the team's plane crashed into a hill near Turin in May 1949, killing everyone on board.
A vow to his father
As a youth, Mazzola vowed he would die young like his father if he could become a champion. Years later, he sought absolution from Padre Pio, the famous friar, who granted it.
From mascot to star
After moving to Milan, Mazzola and his brother became Internazionale mascots, sitting by the dugout at home games and earning match fees before joining the club's academy.
Debut at 18
Mazzola made his first-team debut in 1961 aged 18, scoring a penalty in a 9-1 defeat by Juventus after manager Helenio Herrera fielded the youth team en bloc.
Two European Cups with Inter
In 1964, Mazzola scored twice as Inter beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the European Cup final. Di Stefano, Madrid's greatest star, gave him his shirt and said: 'You are worthy of your father.'
“You are worthy of your father.”
Il Grande Inter dominates
Using Herrera's catenaccio defensive system, Internazionale dominated Serie A and Europe, winning a second European Cup against Benfica in 1965 and reaching the 1967 final.
Rivalry with Gianni Rivera
Mazzola and AC Milan's Gianni Rivera played similar roles but were rivals. Manager Ferruccio Valcareggi believed they could not play together, though both later said they had healthy respect.
La staffetta at the 1970 World Cup
To resolve the Mazzola-Rivera dilemma, Valcareggi created La staffetta: Mazzola started matches while Rivera replaced him at half-time. Italy reached the final but lost 4-1 to Brazil.
565 appearances for Inter
Mazzola scored 158 goals in 565 appearances for Internazionale, captaining the club for seven seasons before retiring in 1977 and becoming an executive.
Life after playing
After retiring, Mazzola signed stars including Ronaldo and Javier Zanetti for Inter. He served as sporting director at Torino from 2000 to 2003 and worked as a broadcaster for RAI.
The headline
Mazzola overcame childhood tragedy to become one of football's finest forwards, spending his entire 17-year career at Inter and helping Italy reach the 1970 World Cup final.
