Sandro Mazzola, Inter forward and Italy international, dies aged 83
Sandro Mazzola, the Italian forward who won two European Cups with Internazionale and earned 70 caps for Italy, has died aged 83. He was part of Italy’s 1968 European Championship–winning side and played in the 4-1 defeat by Brazil in the 1970 World Cup final.
Mazzola was six when his father, Valentino Mazzola, the captain of Torino and of Italy, was killed with his teammates in the Superga air disaster in May 1949; the loss shocked the nation. Born in Turin, his parents had separated three years before the crash and he was briefly kidnapped by Valentino’s new partner before being returned to his mother, Emilia (nee Rinaldi), and his younger brother, Ferruccio. The family later moved to Milan, where former teammates of Valentino took the boys to Internazionale and Angelo Moratti made them club mascots; both brothers subsequently joined Inter’s academy.
He scored twice in Inter’s 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the 1964 European Cup final, and Alfredo Di Stefano responded by giving Mazzola his shirt and saying: "You are worthy of your father." A year after the first triumph Inter beat Benfica to retain the trophy, and the side later lost the 1967 final to Celtic as it became known as Il Grande Inter. Mazzola recalled a private audience with Padre Pio during a squad visit to San Giovanni Rotondo, where he sought the absolution he had been denied by his parish priest for a youthful vow.
Mazzola made his first-team debut at 18 in 1961 in a 9-1 defeat by Juventus, scoring Inter’s only goal from the penalty spot after taking school exams that morning. He finished with 158 goals in 565 appearances for Inter and was a key figure alongside Luis Suárez, Jair, Armando Picchi, Giacinto Facchetti and Tarcisio Burgnich. Under Helenio Herrera’s application of catenaccio as a foundation for rapid counterattacks, Inter dominated Serie A and Europe during his era.
Mazzola’s international career was shaped by his contemporaneous relationship with Gianni Rivera and the decisions of Italy manager Ferruccio Valcareggi, who believed the two playmakers could not both start. They had played together when Italy were eliminated by North Korea at the 1966 World Cup, and Rivera was absent through injury when Italy beat Yugoslavia 2-0 to win the 1968 European Championship. Valcareggi employed "La staffetta" at the 1970 World Cup, starting Mazzola and replacing him with Rivera at half-time; against Brazil the manager delayed the substitution and Rivera entered with six minutes remaining as Italy trailed 3-1.
Mazzola won 70 international caps and scored 22 goals, compared with Rivera’s 60 caps and 14 goals. On their relationship, Mazzola said in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport a month before his death that there had been "a healthy rivalry and immense respect" between them. Known as Il Baffo in recognition of the moustache he always wore, Mazzola was regarded as a pragmatic and consistent operator who lived quietly with his young family.
He retired as a player in 1977 after seven seasons as Inter captain and later served as an executive at the club, where he was responsible for signing players such as the Brazilian striker Ronaldo and the Argentinian defender Javier Zanetti. From 2000 to 2003 he was sporting director at Torino, and he worked as a broadcaster for RAI, commentating on Italy’s World Cup wins in 1982 and 2006. He is survived by his wife, Graziella (nee Galante), and their children Ilaria, Valentina, Sandro and Paolo.