UEFA Champions League (3)

Lore & Background

Inter Milan's 1965 European Cup final victory over Benfica was not the first time two teams met again in a European Cup final after having faced each other previously; Real Madrid and Stade de Reims had already met in the 1956 and 1959 finals.

In Their Own Story

The rain lashed down on Madrid that May night in 2010, but inside the Santiago Bernabéu, a different kind of storm was brewing. As Diego Milito scanned the pitch, his eyes locked not just on the ball, but on the gleaming trophy under the floodlights—a dream thirty-five years in the making. The roar of the *Nerazzurri* faithful drowned out the German chants, turning the stadium into a cauldron of black and blue. When the final whistle confirmed the 2-0 victory, it wasn't merely a win; it was an exorcism of decades of heartbreak. Tears cut through the mud on faces pressed against the turf as the realization hit: the third star was finally theirs.

Reader's Guide

Inter Milan's seventh European Cup/Champions League final appearance was the 2025 final, where they lost 5–0 to Paris Saint-Germain. The match was Simone Inzaghi's final as manager, as he left his post three days after the final by mutual consent.

Did You Know?

• Inter Milan were the most recent Italian club to win the Champions League before 2025; since 2010 only Juventus had reached the final, losing in 2015 and 2017.
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan aimed to become the first player to win all three major European trophies with three different clubs, having won the Europa League with Manchester United and the Europa Conference League with Roma.
• The 2025 final was the first Champions League final without a club from England, Spain or Germany since 2004.