The news is one that shakes the world of football. Leaving it without one of its most elegant signatures. An eternal flag. Sandro Mazzola has died. A man who has crossed football. Late on Friday, September 18, he joined his father Valentino and brother Ferruccio in heaven, reuniting ideally with the Grande Inter that had consecrated him. The world of football loses an absolute protagonist; Italy one of its most recognizable flags: 17 seasons in nerazzurro, 11 as a director, 70 appearances and 22 goals for the National team.
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From the Superga tragedy to the Inter jersey
Sandro is just six years old when the Superga tragedy takes away Valentino Mazzola, captain of the Grande Torino. Ferruccio, the younger brother, is three. Taking care of those two bewildered children is Benito Lorenzi, Inter’s “Veleno,” who often takes them to San Siro and makes them the team’s mascots. President Masseroni even goes so far as to award them a match bonus: 5,000 lire for a win, 2,500 for a draw. At 15, Sandrino enters the nerazzurro youth academy, where he finds an exceptional teacher: Peppino Meazza, who educates him on the fields of Rogoredo. Helenio Herrera, from the first team, watches him and teases him with his famous grammelot: “Gran giugador el padre. Vederemo te.”
The debut amid exams and controversies
The Serie A debut comes under surreal circumstances. It is June 10, 1961: the replay of Juve-Inter, a title-deciding match suspended due to crowd invasion. That morning Mazzola has three school exams – English, banking technique, and political economy – and a taxi rushes him from Milan to Turin. Before the game, Giampiero Boniperti shakes his hand: “I played with your father. He was the strongest of all.” And after the match, despite the 9-1 inflicted on the young nerazzurri, he adds: “You are worthy of him.” Sandro scores from a penalty and wins everyone over.
The birth of the Grande Inter
From 1962-63 Herrera permanently includes him in the first team. In a system built to defend and counterattack, Mazzola becomes the perfect outlet: fast, technical, hungry for depth. The first great triumph comes on May 27, 1964, on the night of the Prater: European Cup against Real Madrid. He scores two goals, receives Puskas’s number 10 shirt, and hears words that will accompany him for life: “You are worthy of your father.” With Facchetti, he forms a symbolic pair: two boys galloping, a mirror of the Magician. Even when the captain’s armband passes to Baffo and relations sour, a clarification restores serenity.
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Intercontinental Cups, dribbles, and legend
Mazzola also scores in the final against Independiente that secured the first Intercontinental Cup. In the subsequent European Cup, he is decisive in Liverpool (1-3) and a protagonist in the comeback at San Siro (3-0). The most iconic goal comes in 1966-67 against Vasas Budapest: an endless dribble, five opponents skipped, the goalkeeper beaten, the crowd shouting “Shoot!”. Since then, in the Football Dictionary, under the entry dribble is his name. Second behind Cruijff in the 1971 Ballon d’Or, he is the only Italian to have won the European Cup top scorer ranking and to have scored in two finals.
The National team and the relay with Rivera
He debuts in the Azzurri at 20 against Pelé’s Brazil, scoring from a penalty. He wins the 1968 European Championship. But his story in the National team is often told through the Mexican relay with Gianni Rivera, who confines him to six minutes in the 1970 World Cup final. Cordial rivals for almost twenty years, they were opposite worlds: Rivera, a magazine cover face; Mazzola, married very young to Graziella, three children, a reserved life. The last match of his career is precisely against Rivera: Coppa Italia final, July 3, 1977, Milan-Inter 2-0. He leaves quoting Dante: “Vuolsi così colà dove si puote ciò che si vuole…”.
The director, the commentator, the man of football
After retirement, Mazzola returns twice as Inter director. He is among the architects of the arrival of Ronaldo and Recoba at the Pinetina. He nearly secured epochal signings like Platini and Falcao, missed due to others’ decisions. He also works for Genoa and Torino, then becomes a recognizable and appreciated TV voice. Beneamata today mourns one of its deepest loves. A man who crossed football with the grace of champions and the tenacity of boys who grew up too fast.
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