Inter Milan

Inter Milan was founded on 9 March 1908 following a split within Milan Cricket and Football Club. The new organisation was officially named Football Club Internazionale Milano, reflecting its founders’ intention to welcome players from outside Italy. Blue and black became the club’s colours. Inter won their first Italian championship in 1909-10 and added a second title in 1919-20.

Giuseppe Meazza became the defining player of Inter’s early decades. A prolific forward who also starred for Italy, Meazza helped Inter Milan win championships in 1929-30 and 1937-38 and the Coppa Italia in 1939. Another league title followed in 1939-40. The stadium shared by Inter and AC Milan was officially renamed Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in 1980, although it remains widely known as San Siro.

Inter’s most celebrated early European period developed under coach Helenio Herrera during the 1960s (find out more in the official site of Inter Milan). The team became known as Grande Inter and featured players including captain Armando Picchi, Giacinto Facchetti, Sandro Mazzola and Luis Suarez. Inter won Serie A in 1962-63 before defeating Real Madrid 3-1 in the 1964 European Cup final. They retained the European title in 1965 by beating Benfica 1-0 at San Siro. Inter also won consecutive Intercontinental Cups against Independiente.

Further league championships arrived in 1965-66, 1970-71 and 1979-80. Inter won the Coppa Italia in 1978 and again in 1982. The club then assembled another notable championship side during the late 1980s. Giovanni Trapattoni’s team, featuring players such as Lothar Matthaus, Andreas Brehme and Walter Zenga, won the 1988-89 Serie A title with a record points total under the scoring system then in use.

European success returned in the UEFA Cup. Inter Milan won the competition in 1991, defeating Roma in an all-Italian final, and lifted it again in 1994. A third UEFA Cup followed in 1998, when Inter defeated Lazio 3-0 in Paris. Ronaldo scored the final goal after rounding goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani. The Brazilian striker was one of several major international players to represent Inter around this period.

Javier Zanetti joined Inter Milan in 1995 and became one of the central figures in the club’s modern history. The Argentine eventually made 858 competitive appearances for Inter and served as captain during a period of sustained success. After a long wait for another league championship, Inter were awarded the 2005-06 Serie A title and then won the following four championships on the pitch.

Jose Mourinho became coach in 2008 and guided Inter Milan to the 2008-09 Serie A title. His second season produced an unprecedented achievement for an Italian club. With players including Zanetti, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Lucio and goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Inter won Serie A and the Coppa Italia before facing Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League final. Milito scored both goals in a 2-0 victory in Madrid, completing the treble.

Inter Milan subsequently won the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup. The club experienced a less successful period domestically during much of the following decade, although it returned to the Champions League in 2018 after a six-season absence. Antonio Conte was appointed in 2019 and led Inter to the 2020 Europa League final, where they lost to Sevilla. The following season, a team featuring Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella won Serie A, ending Juventus‘ run of nine consecutive championships.

Simone Inzaghi succeeded Conte in 2021. Inter won multiple Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophies under him and reached the 2023 Champions League final, losing 1-0 to Manchester City. In 2023-24, Lautaro Martinez captained Inter to another Serie A championship. The title was secured by defeating AC Milan 2-1 in the Derby della Madonnina, giving Inter their 20th recognised Italian league championship and a second star above the club badge.

Inter Milan returned to the Champions League final in 2025 but lost 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in Munich. Cristian Chivu subsequently became head coach in June 2025. Inter continue to play at San Siro and compete in Serie A, with Lautaro Martinez remaining club captain for the 2026-27 season.