Inter Milan President Marotta delivered a eulogy at the funeral of Sandro Mazzola, remembering the club legend.

Marotta's Eulogy:

Ilaria, Valentina, Alessandro, and Paolo, thank you for giving me this opportunity to remember your beloved father. Being here with you and all those who could not attend this ceremony deeply moves my heart. The number of us gathered here reflects the deep affection we have always held for Sandro and his family.

Sandro joined the Nerazzurri at a young age and chose Inter Milan as his home for life. For 17 seasons, in one uniform, in an era when football offered many paths, he chose to stay. Because he understood something increasingly rare today: belonging is not a limitation, but a freedom.

This bond did not end with his final match or retirement. Sandro never truly left Inter Milan. He remained with the club in management, continuing to serve these colors with the same dedication and responsibility he showed on the pitch.

When he was six years old, the Superga air disaster claimed his father, Torino captain Valentino Mazzola. Sandro carried this legacy with pride, never using it as an excuse, but transforming loss and burden into commitment. He never tried to live in his father's shadow, only to be worthy of him, and in the best way, to become himself.

When President Angelo Moratti handed Sandro his first professional paycheck, he took it home to his mother, Emilia. She looked at the amount, hardly believing it: "This much money, they must have made a mistake." From a young age, Sandro understood the value of giving, and perhaps for this reason, he always saw football as a gift.

Wearing the Nerazzurri jersey, he wrote one of the most unforgettable chapters in the club's history. During the era of the "Grande Internazionale" under President Angelo Moratti and coached by Helenio Herrera, he was a central figure, helping Inter Milan win four Serie A titles, two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups. In the 1964 Vienna final, he scored two goals against Real Madrid, helping Inter Milan become European champions. That team not only won trophies but also changed the course of football history, and Sandro was one of its most iconic faces and talents.

Yet the true strength of that Inter Milan team came not only from trophies but from the bond forged by President Angelo Moratti. Before they became champions, they were a family, people united by something stronger than any individual. Sandro understood this. He did not play for himself, but for his teammates, for the jersey, for the club he called home. At Inter Milan, collectivity has always come before the individual, and the first and most important victory means winning together.

Sandro could never be defined by numbers or position. He was No. 9, but not a center forward; he was No. 8, but not a midfielder. He valued talent over labels, imagination over rigid systems. He did not have the physique or demeanor typically associated with great champions. As someone recently wrote, he was a genius whose logic alone could not explain, not tall, yet he made us all feel like champions.

Alongside this extraordinary player was also a tough, good man, always willing to defend his teammates, and who never bowed his head.

He was also a fair and graceful opponent. On February 24, 1963, at age 20, he made his Milan derby debut, scoring a goal just 13 seconds after kick-off. From that moment on, the derby became his greatest stage, and his rivals later became friends. I remember his friendship with Gianni Rivera, a friendship built on competition and mutual respect.

With the Italian national team, he won the 1968 European Championship and reached the 1970 World Cup final, with 70 appearances and 22 goals in his international career.

But most importantly, Sandro was a humble man. When Inter Milan won their second star in 2024, he was over 80 years old and could easily have been content. Yet on the night of April 22, 2024, when Inter Milan secured the Serie A title, he felt the derby like any fan. He was one of us. When speaking about that match, he always used the plural pronoun "we": we were the first to bring the first star to Milan, and now we are the first to win the second star.

The next day, he said: "My heart is still racing. The jersey now has more colors." Someone who had won everything, yet could still feel the same joy as a child – that is what made him so special.

In May, he returned to San Siro with teammates from the first star era, Gianfranco Bedin, Renato Cappellini, and Aristide Guarneri. The Nerazzurri fans welcomed him home. In November, we celebrated his 82nd birthday together, with many Inter Milan legends gathered at the table. It was a simple occasion, where Sandro was not treated as a monument to the past, but simply as a family member.

Perhaps only those who have truly made history can carry it with such lightness and humility.

Sandro leaves us with three legacies that no record book can capture: the loyalty of one man, one club; the courage to transform pain into strength; and the humility never to see himself as a monument. This is what transforms a champion into a true symbol of a club. Sandro is, and always will be.

As President, I also feel the weight and honor of this responsibility. This responsibility is mine and that of everyone who leads this club: to preserve the memory of the club and pass it on. As Cicero wrote: "The life of the dead is preserved in the memory of the living."

A great club is not great only because of how many trophies it wins, but because of what it can pass on to the future. The greater the club, the more it can bring its past into the future.

Therefore, we must not only teach the young academy players how to play football, but also tell them about people like Sandro. Memory is not something that should be left to gather dust in a museum, but a lesson that will continue.

They must learn from Sandro: never to think they have achieved everything; to respect their teammates and opponents; that every joy is preceded by effort; the value of hard work; and what it truly means to belong to these colors. These colors are not just worn, they are carved into the heart.

Champions come and go, but examples remain. As long as there is a child wearing this jersey and remembering Sandro, Sandro will never truly be gone. His values will continue to live in every player who steps onto the pitch wearing these colors.

To his family, I want to say: your sorrow is our sorrow, and you will always have our love and support. People like Sandro never truly leave us. He lives in the evenings at San Siro, in the stories fathers tell their children, and in every young player who dreams of wearing these colors for life.

Sandro, thank you for all you have taught us, and thank you for all you have given us.

You will always be one of us.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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