Inter’s class of 2010: Unlikely heroes and second chances at glory

2010 was a momentous year in modern football history. Africa hosted its first ever World Cup tournament, but it was also the year Inter won the European Cup for the first time since 1965 and appeared in their first final since 1972. They completed a treble under José Mourinho. How many of these treble winners do you remember?

Inter’s starting XI vs Bayern in the 2010 UCL final

(4-2-1-3): Júlio César; Maicon, Lúcio, Walter Samuel, Cristian Chivu; Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti; Wesley Sneijder; Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Goran Pandev

Mourinho’s Inter had a bit of everything

The 11 starting players against Bayern at the Bernabéu were made up of 3 Brazilians, 4 Argentinians, a Romanian hardman at left-back (naturally a central defender), a severely underrated North Macedonian left-footer, a Dutch midfield maestro and arguably the greatest African footballer of all time.

Often, although this side was set up in a 4-2-1-3, it reverted to 6 at the back with Zanetti and Cambiasso making them extremely difficult to break down. 5 of that ‘back 6’ were South Americans.

José Mourinho put together a pretty special group of players and had them scrapping for every second ball. Off the bench that night, Mourinho used Marco Materazzi, an infamous figure in football history after his altercation with Zinedine Zidane in 2006, Dejan Stanković and Ghanaian talent Sulley Muntari. ‘Super Mario’ Balotelli was an unused substitute in his final season with the club.

Unlikely heroes everywhere you looked, and none more so than Diego Milito, match-winner on the night in Madrid with his brace.

Inter’s surprise MVP

Milito is one of the less celebrated Argentinian strikers if you consider the ridiculous wealth of options they’ve had in his position throughout the years. Milito’s career pre-Inter also wasn’t very glamorous. He won a league title in Argentina with Racing Club before his European adventure with Genoa in Serie A and Real Zaragoza in LaLiga. What a story 2010 was for Milito and Inter.

Milito scored in the BIGGEST games

At the end of the 2009/10 season, Milito was pretty much on top of the world. He scored 22 times in Serie A, including the decisive strike on the final day of the season against Siena, he scored both goals in the Champions League final, and the only goal in the Coppa Italia final against Roma. The definition of a BIG-game player at the crucial moments.

Milito also scored a late equaliser then set up a vital winner back in the group stage of this competition when Inter needed to win away to Dynamo Kyiv. He also scored in every knockout round, against Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and Barcelona.

Eto’o and Pandev are both national heroes

Supporting Milito in attack were 2 players fulfilling selfless, hard-working roles in the wide areas. For most of his career, Eto’o was the focal point in attack but manager Mourinho coaxed out another dimension to his game at Inter. We all know how the Cameroonian legend is revered around Africa and indeed the world.

As for Pandev, later in his career he scored the only goal of North Macedonia’s Euro 2020 play-off final against Georgia, sending his nation to their first ever major tournament, where he went on to net their first ever goal. Pandev is a national treasure in North Macedonia. This Inter side had legends and BIG personalities everywhere in the dressing room and from all over the planet.

Sneijder unlucky to be denied the Ballon d’Or?

On top of winning a treble with Inter, Wesley Sneijder went all the way to the final of WC10 with the Netherlands before coming heartbreakingly short against Spain at Soccer City in Johannesburg. If that final had gone a different way, perhaps it would have been him and not Lionel Messi with that year’s Ballon d’Or. Barcelona swept the podium with WC10 final match-winner Andrés Iniesta coming 2nd and Xavi 3rd. Sneijder was 4th.

Many fans still believe Sneijder should have collected the prize. He was the creative nucleus of this team and the brains of the entire operation to go along with plenty of brawn. A classic number 10 revelling in a well-drilled counter-attacking unit.

Midfield wins matches

Argentinian duo Esteban Cambiasso and the iconic figure of Javier Zanetti were the bedrock of Inter’s success, mopping up danger in front of their back 4 and allowing the attackers to flourish.

Cambiasso’s laser-like precision on his left foot, as well as his ability to read danger, were pivotal. Zanetti, captain on the night and Inter’s all-time leading appearance maker with 858 matches in a Nerazzurri jersey, might regard this as his favourite of them all. He’s played a part in this run to Istanbul too in his role as Inter vice-president.

So, do the class of 2023 have a chance?

Fast-forwarding to the present day, Simone Inzaghi’s team only managed a 3rd-place finish in Serie A but have hit form at a crucial point in the season, winning 11 of their last 12 matches.

If any formation could give Pep Guardiola and Man City problems, it might well be a 3-5-2 or any system with 3 at the back. They’ve built a reputation as cup specialists under the Italian, winning a pair of both Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophies in his 2 seasons as boss.

Inter out to spoil Pep’s party again

Inter won’t be repeating 2010’s league-domestic cup-Champions League treble in 2023, but they’ll do their best to assume the role of spoilers and deny Man City the BIGGEST piece of silverware still to elude them in their own treble chase. Stay tuned for our final preview.

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