Written by Matteo Ciaramella
The 2010 Inter Triplete.
What. A. Season.
Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League.
4 league losses, best attack and defense in Italy, with so many superstar teams overcome on the European scale. Phenomenal.
What makes this treble even more special, is that nobody had these expectations for the Nerazzurri at the beginning of the season. The 2009/2010 Inter team looked by all means like a good side capable of challenging for the Serie A and Coppa Italia, but it dwarfed in comparison to the European giants of football. Simply put, no one saw this treble coming.
But why is that? You see, after dominating the 1990s decade, Italian football had started seeing a slow decline towards the mid to late 2000s. Shaken and marked by the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, Serie A was losing ground to the English Premier League, where, with every passing year, it seemed like England’s top clubs only got better. The likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City were blessed with money and media coverage that Serie A clubs could only dream of, thus creating an ever-widening gap in success, relevance, and talent. In short, Italian football was falling out of its prime, so logically, who would predict an Italian team to win a glorious and rare feat like the treble?
Inter was also coming off a turnover-ridden transfer window, with numerous additions to their starting XI, such as Lùcio, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o. Although very respected and established footballers, many feared that a lack of chemistry would be a big problem for them, coupled with a period of adaptation to the new league, coach, and playing style that they would encounter at Inter. It may have made more sense to recruit new talent domestically, which the Nerazzurri ultimately did that summer, when they secured Diego Milito, also known as El Principe – The Prince. Coming from Genoa, the Argentine wasn’t the most touted or well-known footballer, and many scratched their heads when they realized that he would replace Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Although Milito had scored 24 goals for Genoa in the 2008-2009 Serie A season, few expected him to contribute so much in what ultimately became Inter’s best ever season. He had done well in Italy, but how well was that going to translate to the European stage? How would he measure up to world-class strikers like Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, and David Villa? How would he look in comparison to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two best players on the planet at the time?
As it turns out, Milito proved himself to be absolutely on par with these superstars. 30 goals across all competitions allowed El Principe to be known as a force to be reckoned with, especially because of his ability to stand out when it mattered the most…
…May 5th, 2010: In an extremely heated contest against league title contenders Roma, with 8 total yellow cards, Milito ultimately came through when it mattered and scored the only goal of the game.
Trophy number one: conquered
May 16th, 2010: The league title race is coming down to the wire. Inter is only two points above Roma, and the last matchday looks to be decisive. For domestic glory, the Nerazzurri have to win against Siena, while the Giallorossi face Chievo Verona. Though tensions were rising high, Milito once again delivered, scoring the lone, winning goal to edge out the opposition.
Trophy number two: secured.
May 22nd, 2010: Bayern Munich vs. Inter, Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Nerazzurri crawled their way to Madrid after a grueling campaign, facing giants such as Chelsea and a Barcelona squad considered to be one of the best teams ever assembled. Inter’s centre backs Walter Samuel and Lùcio showcased their defensive prowess throughout the entire tournament, by holding strikers like Didier Drogba, Lionel Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to 0 goals against Inter during that Champions League edition. An exceptional display of the importance of a good defense.
But to win games, you need goals, right?
The whole point of football is to score more than your opponents.
And if there is one man who knows that, it’s Diego Milito.
Two crucial goals for the Argentine in the final. There was nothing the German defense could do to stop him: he was unplayable.
The man who a year prior was playing for small club Genoa, was now in the most iconic stadium in football history, punishing one of the best teams in the world with his goals, and winning the most important trophy in European club football. The prince had now become the king.
Final score: Inter, 2, Bayern, 0.
Trophy number three: obtained.
Treble: achieved
Historical season: accomplished.
Eternal respect from the football community: earned.
2009-2010 season: over.