La Grande Inter
Encyclopedia
Grande Inter is the name given to the Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 team led by Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

 that won back-to-back European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 wins in 1964 and 1965, victories but were spotted in the light of a series of revelations published in recent years.
The team have dominated the Italian Serie A during the 1960s when they won 3 scudetti. Finally, they are also known as the team that brought Catenaccio
Catenaccio
Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals.-History:...

, a tactical system in football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

, to a new level.

Helenio Herrera

Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

 who grew up in Casablanca, Morocco was born in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 to Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....

 parents and eventually becoming a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 citizen, but he was associated with Italian football
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...

. He coached FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 where he won La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

/Spanish Cup in 1959 and La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

/Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...

 double in 1960 before moving to Italy. Nevertheless, his career in Spain was overshadowed by the dominance of Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 in European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

.

The beginning

In 1960, Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

 joined Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 from FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 after falling out with the Catalonian club. From FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

, he brought his midfield general Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...

 who would win the European Footballer of the Year
European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...

 in the same year for his role in FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

's La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

/Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...

 double. He would transform Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 into one of the greatest teams in Europe. He modified a 5-3-2 tactic known as the Verrou (door bolt) to include larger flexibility for counter attacks. The Catenaccio
Catenaccio
Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals.-History:...

 system was invented by an Austrian coach named Karl Rappan
Karl Rappan
Karl Rappan was an Austrian footballer and coach. He played and managed mostly in Switzerland, where he won multiple titles. He had four tenures as coach of the Swiss national team, which he managed in three World Cups, and is the all-time leader in matches won as coach of the Swiss team...

. Rappan's original system was implemented with 4 fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who plays the ball together with two midfield wings. Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

 would modify it by adding a fifth defenders, the sweeper or libero behind the two centre backs. The sweeper or libero who acted as the free man would deal with any attackers who went through the two centre backs. Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 would finish 3rd in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 his first season, 2nd the next year and first in his 3rd season. And then followed a back-to-back European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 victory in 1964 and 1965. Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

 earned the title "ll Mago" which meant the magician. The code of Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

's team was the fullbacks Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich is a former Italian football defender.After short spells at Udinese, Juventus and Palermo, it was with Internazionale that he found his spiritual home in the 1960s...

 and Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered...

, Armando Picchi
Armando Picchi
Armando Picchi was an Italian football player and coach. Regularly positioned as a sweeper, he captained the Internazionale side known as La Grande Inter.-Club career:...

 the sweeper, Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...

 the playmaker, Jair
Jair da Costa
Jair da Costa is a former Brazilian footballer who notably played for Internazionale, and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965....

 the winger, Mario Corso
Mario Corso
Mario Corso, nicknamed Mariolino, is an Italian former football player and coach. He was a famed left winger notable for his consistency....

 the left midfielder and Sandro Mazzola who played the inside-right.

1964 European Cup

In 1964, Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 reached the Final by beating Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...

 in the semifinal and FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...

 in the quarterfinal. In the Final, they met Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

, a team had reached 7 out of the 9 existing Finals. Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 consisted of the aging stars of the 1950s and a few emerging players that would win the European Cup in 1966. It was Sandro Mazzola who stole the show by scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory.

Internazionale lineup: Giuliano Sarti
Giuliano Sarti
Giuliano Sarti is a retired Italian professional football player.-Honours:* Serie A champion: 1955/56, 1964/65, 1965/66.* Coppa Italia winner: 1960/61.* European Cup winner: 1963/64, 1964/65....

; Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich is a former Italian football defender.After short spells at Udinese, Juventus and Palermo, it was with Internazionale that he found his spiritual home in the 1960s...

, Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered...

; Carlo Tagnin
Carlo Tagnin
Carlo Tagnin is an Italian footballer who played for Internazionale and was part of their UEFA Champions League victory in 1964. It is believed that his death was associated with health-damaging performance enhancing drugs.- References :...

, Aristide Guarneri
Aristide Guarneri
Aristide Guarneri is a former Italian footballer who played for Internazionale and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965. He played for the Inter Milan team known as La Grande Inter. He was included in Italy's squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, playing one game and the 1968...

, Armando Picchi
Armando Picchi
Armando Picchi was an Italian football player and coach. Regularly positioned as a sweeper, he captained the Internazionale side known as La Grande Inter.-Club career:...

; Jair
Jair da Costa
Jair da Costa is a former Brazilian footballer who notably played for Internazionale, and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965....

, Sandro Mazzola, Aurelio Milani
Aurelio Milani
Aurelio Milani is a former Italian footballer who played for Internazionale and was part of their European Cup victory in 1964. He earned 1 cap for the Italy national football team. Milani was joint topscorer with José Altafini in 1961-62....

, Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...

, Mario Corso
Mario Corso
Mario Corso, nicknamed Mariolino, is an Italian former football player and coach. He was a famed left winger notable for his consistency....


1965 European Cup

A year later, Inter repeated the feat by beating two-time winner SL Benfica
SL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...

 in the final held at home. Jair
Jair da Costa
Jair da Costa is a former Brazilian footballer who notably played for Internazionale, and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965....

 was the lone scorer in 1-0 win.

Internazionale lineup: Giuliano Sarti
Giuliano Sarti
Giuliano Sarti is a retired Italian professional football player.-Honours:* Serie A champion: 1955/56, 1964/65, 1965/66.* Coppa Italia winner: 1960/61.* European Cup winner: 1963/64, 1964/65....

; Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich is a former Italian football defender.After short spells at Udinese, Juventus and Palermo, it was with Internazionale that he found his spiritual home in the 1960s...

, Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered...

; Gianfranco Bedin
Gianfranco Bedin
Gianfranco Bedin is a former Italian footballer who played for Internazionale and was part of their European Cup victory in 1965. He earned 6 caps for the Italy national football team. - External links :*...

, Aristide Guarneri
Aristide Guarneri
Aristide Guarneri is a former Italian footballer who played for Internazionale and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965. He played for the Inter Milan team known as La Grande Inter. He was included in Italy's squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, playing one game and the 1968...

, Armando Picchi
Armando Picchi
Armando Picchi was an Italian football player and coach. Regularly positioned as a sweeper, he captained the Internazionale side known as La Grande Inter.-Club career:...

; Jair
Jair da Costa
Jair da Costa is a former Brazilian footballer who notably played for Internazionale, and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965....

, Sandro Mazzola, Joaquín Peiró
Joaquín Peiró
Joaquín Peiró Lucas is a retired Spanish football attacking midfielder and manager....

, Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...

, Mario Corso
Mario Corso
Mario Corso, nicknamed Mariolino, is an Italian former football player and coach. He was a famed left winger notable for his consistency....


1967 European Cup

By 1967, Jair
Jair da Costa
Jair da Costa is a former Brazilian footballer who notably played for Internazionale, and was part of their European Cup victories in 1964 and 1965....

 was gone. Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...

 was injured and missed the Final. Sandro Mazzola's penalty was not enough to stop Celtic FC from winning the title.

Controversies

In 2003 the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

published an article by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 Brian Glanville
Brian Glanville
Brian Lester Glanville is a leading English football writer and novelist.-Biography:Glanville was educated at Charterhouse School, where he played football to a high standard...

 in that Gyorgy Vadas Hungarian referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...

's confession on a corruption attempt
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

 by the club's president, Angelo Moratti
Angelo Moratti
Angelo Moratti was an Italian oil tycoon. He was the owner and president of the Serie A football club Internazionale. He is the father of the current Internazionale's owner and president, Massimo Moratti....

, before the second leg of the semi-finals of the 1965-66 European Cup against Madrid CF
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

. Glanville, who also reported similar cases of match-fixing in which were involved some club's officers in the two previous editions of the tournament, in addition, has signed, according to a survey
Survey
-Quantitative research:* Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population* Paid survey, a method that companies use to collect consumer opinions about a product by paying consumers for participating in the survey...

 called The Years of the Golden Fix, that the club's triumphs during the 1960s "were the fruit of bribery and corruption in which Angelo Moratti played a crucial part in a process implemented by two men also now dead: Deszo Szolti, the Hungarian fixer, and the serpentine Italo Allodi
Italo Allodi
Italo Allodi was an Italian association football manager who was implicated, in many attempts to fix matches....

 [Inter's sporting director]."

In 2004, in his book Il terzo incomodo, and in an interview to Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...

 L'espresso
L'Espresso
l'Espresso is an Italian newsmagazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies, the other being Panorama. Since the latter has been acquired by right-wing tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi, l'Espresso enjoys the reputation of being the main politically independent newsmagazine...

on 2005 former Grande Inter footballer Ferruccio Mazzola has made a series of serious accusations related to the systematic use of performance enhancing drugs (mainly amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...

s) in the club during the 1960s
Internazionale chairman Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti
Massimo Moratti is an Italian oil tycoon. He is the owner and President of Italian football team Football Club Internazionale Milano, and Chief Executive Officer of Saras S.p.A.-Life and career:...

 and president Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered...

, who was also among those accused by Mazzola to make use of systematic doping
Doping
Doping is generally the practice of adding impurities to something.* Doping is a term for the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport or blood doping, often to improve athletic performance....

in the club, sued him for those declarations. Mazzola finally won the legal case in 2010 and the club have not submitted any appeal.
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