Mario Corso

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Corso made his Inter debut at age 16, in a Coppa Italia match against Como, which Inter won 3–0; on his debut, Corso scored the second goal of the match, becoming the youngest ever goalscorer in Inter's history. On 23 November 1957, he also made his Serie A debut, in a 5–1 win against Sampdoria, soon becoming a permanent member of the starting eleven, and later serving as captain of the squad. Corso had a role on the left wing in Helenio Herrera's Inter Milan team of the 1960s, which is known as La Grande Inter, winning consecutive Serie A, European Cup, and Intercontinental Cup titles. Following his time with Inter, Corso briefly moved to Genoa in 1973, remaining there for two seasons before retiring in 1975. In total, he played 436 matches with 78 goals in Serie A.

In Their Own Story

Corso made 23 appearances for Italy over ten years, scoring four goals, though he was never selected for a major international tournament. He debuted in 1961 in a 3–2 home loss against England in a friendly. On 15 October 1961, he scored his first two goals for Italy in a 4–2 away win against Israel in a 1962 World Cup qualifier, and scored again in the return leg on 4 November in Turin. After an argument with manager Edmondo Fabbri, he was left out of Italy's 1962 World Cup squad, which was eliminated in the first round. He returned to the starting line-up in 1964, scoring his final Italy goal on 10 May in a 3–1 win against Switzerland. He was later excluded from the 1966 World Cup squad, the victorious Euro 1968 squad, and the 1970 World Cup finalists. His final Italy appearance was on 9 October 1971 in a 3–0 win against Sweden. In 1967, FIFA placed him in their All-Star team for an international friendly against Spain, winning 3–0.

Reader's Guide

Corso made 23 appearances for the Italy national team over ten years, scoring four goals, although he was never elected to take part in a major international tournament with Italy. He made his debut in 1961, in a 3–2 home loss against England in an international friendly match. On 15 October 1961, he scored his first goals for Italy, scoring two goals against Israel in a 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, which Italy won 4–2 away from home. He also scored a goal in the return leg on 4 November, in Turin. Following an argument with manager Edmondo Fabbri, he was left out of Italy's 1962 FIFA World Cup squad, which was eliminated in the first round of the tournament. He returned to the starting line-up in 1964, and on 10 May, he scored his final goal for Italy in a 3–1 victory against Switzerland. He would also later be excluded from Italy's squad in their similarly disappointing 1966 FIFA World Cup campaign, as well as Italy's victorious UEFA Euro 1968 squad, which won the tournament on home soil. He was once again excluded from the Italian side that would reach the final of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Corso made his final appearance for Italy on 9 October 1971, in a 3–0 victory against Sweden. Along with Giuliano Sarti, Armando Picchi, Gianfranco Bedin, and Antonio Angelillo, he is one of the most successful Italian, Inter club players to have never been called up for a World Cup. Despite his exclusion from the national side, in 1967 FIFA placed him in their All-Star team for an international friendly against Spain, in honour of goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora, winning the match 3–0.

Did You Know?

• Corso was nicknamed 'Mandrake' and 'God's Left Foot' for his skills, free kick technique and crossing ability.
• He made his Inter debut at age 16 in a Coppa Italia match against Como, scoring the second goal and becoming the youngest ever goalscorer in Inter's history.
• Corso won four Serie A titles, two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups with Inter Milan.
• He was never selected for a major international tournament with Italy despite 23 appearances.
• In 1967, FIFA placed Corso in their All-Star team for a friendly against Spain honoring Ricardo Zamora.