Sandro Mazzola, Inter legend and European great, dies at 84
Inter announced on September 18, 2026 that the club icon Sandro Mazzola has died; he made 565 appearances and won two European Cups.
Inter Milan announced on Saturday, September 18, 2026, that Sandro Mazzola has died at the age of 84. The club hailed him as one of its greatest figures after a career that made him an icon of Italian and European football.
Career and achievements
Mazzola spent his entire 17-year senior career with Inter, appearing in 565 matches and scoring 158 goals. With the club he won four Serie A titles and two European Cup trophies, forming a central part of the team that dominated the mid-1960s under coach Helenio Herrera.
On the international stage, Mazzola was part of Italy's squad that won the 1968 European Championship and two years later helped the Azzurri reach the final of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
He made his first-team debut for Inter at 18 against Juventus and became a key figure in the club's golden years. Mazzola scored twice in the 1964 European Cup final when Inter beat Real Madrid 3–1 and played a major role as Inter retained the trophy the following year.
Mazzola retired from playing in 1977. After hanging up his boots he worked as a sporting director for both Inter and Torino.
The club paid tribute with an emotional statement: "Sandro Mazzola was one of the greatest footballers in history. Not only in Inter's history."
Inter also posted a longer tribute on social media: "There are those who enter history. And then there are those who become Inter's very history. From a nerazzurro boy to an eternal symbol, Sandro Mazzola spanned generations, winning, moving and passing on the love for these colours. He shone on the pitch, and now the star still shines..."
Photo: press material from the event
