History of Inter Milan facts for kids

Football Club Internazionale Milano, usually called Inter Milan or just Inter, is a super famous football club from Milan, Italy. They are known for their black and blue striped jerseys. Inter is one of the biggest and most successful football teams in the world!

How Inter Milan Started

Inter Milan was created on 9 March 1908. A group of Italian and Swiss people left another Milan team because they wanted a club that would welcome players from all over the world, not just Italians. That's why they chose the name "Internazionale," which means "International."

One of the founders, Giorgio Muggiani, a painter, designed the club's first logo. He said:

Inter won their very first Italian championship, called the Scudetto, in 1910. Their captain and coach then was Virgilio Fossati. They won their second Scudetto in 1920.

The Ambrosiana Years

Giuseppe Meazza scored 31 goals in his first season (1929–30), a record for a debut season in Serie A.

Inter's journey in the Italian football league since 1929/30.

In 1928, during a time when Italy was ruled by a group called the Fascists, the club was forced to change its name to Società Sportiva Ambrosiana. They even had to wear white shirts with a red cross, inspired by the flag of Milan.

But fans still called the team "Inter." So, in 1931, the club's name was changed again to Associazione Sportiva Ambrosiana-Inter, and they brought back their famous black and blue striped jerseys.

Inter won their first Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) in 1939. This team was led by the legendary player Giuseppe Meazza. The famous San Siro stadium in Milan is officially named after him! Inter also won their fifth league championship in 1940. After World War II ended, the club went back to its original name: Internazionale. They won two more championships in 1953 and 1954.

The Grande Inter Era

In 1960, a brilliant coach named Helenio Herrera joined Inter. He brought with him a star midfielder, Luis Suárez, who was one of the best players in Europe. Herrera changed Inter into one of the strongest teams in Europe. He used a special defensive tactic called catenaccio, which means "door bolt." This system focused on strong defense and quick counterattacks. Herrera was so good, people called him ll Mago, which means "the magician."

Inter won the European Cup twice in a row, in 1964 and 1965! In the 1964 final, they beat the famous Real Madrid team 3–1, with Sandro Mazzola scoring two goals. After that, they also won the Intercontinental Cup.

A year later, in 1965, Inter won the European Cup again! They beat Benfica 1–0 in the final, with Jair scoring the only goal. They also won the Intercontinental Cup for the second time.

In 1967, Inter reached the European Cup Final for a third time but lost to Celtic. That same year, the club officially changed its name to Football Club Internazionale Milano.

More Trophies for Inter

After their amazing success in the 1960s, Inter continued to win. They won their 11th league title in 1971 and their 12th in 1980. They also added two more Coppa Italia trophies in 1978 and 1982.

In 1989, Inter won another Serie A championship. This team had great German players like Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus, and the Argentine Ramón Díaz. They also won the Italian Supercup the next season.

Ups and Downs

Christian Vieri became the world's most expensive player in 1999 when Inter paid a lot of money for him.

The 1990s were a bit tough for Inter in the league. While their rivals were winning, Inter struggled in Serie A. However, they still found success in Europe, winning the UEFA Cup three times: in 1991, 1994, and 1998.

In 1995, Massimo Moratti became the club's owner. He spent a lot of money to bring in star players like Ronaldo and Christian Vieri. Inter even broke the world record for transfer fees twice during this time! But even with these great players, Inter didn't win a Serie A title in the 1990s.

The early 2000s also had some difficult moments. Inter sometimes struggled in the league and in European competitions. In 2002, they were very close to winning the Scudetto on the last day of the season but lost their final match. They also lost to their city rivals, AC Milan, in the Champions League semi-finals in 2003.

Rise to Glory and the Treble

Inter won the 2004-05 Coppa Italia, beating A.S. Roma.

In 2004, Roberto Mancini became Inter's new coach. Under him, Inter started winning again! They won the Coppa Italia in 2005 and 2006, both times beating A.S. Roma. They also won the Supercoppa Italiana in 2005.

In 2006, Inter was awarded the 2005–06 Serie A championship. This happened because other teams, like Juventus and AC Milan, had points taken away due to a big scandal called Calciopoli.

Inter then went on an amazing run in the 2006–07 season, winning 17 Serie A games in a row! This was a new record in Italy. They won their second consecutive Scudetto in April 2007.

Javier Zanetti played a record 858 games for Inter, including 618 in the league.

In the 2007–08 season, Inter won their third league title in a row. It was a very exciting end to the season, as they were only one point ahead of Roma on the final day. But thanks to two goals from Zlatan Ibrahimović, Inter won their match and secured the championship!

After this, José Mourinho became Inter's coach in 2008. He was a very famous coach. In his first season, Inter won the Italian Super Cup and their fourth consecutive league title. This made them one of only three teams in Italy to win four league titles in a row.

The 2009–10 season was the most incredible in Inter's history! They won the Treble, which means winning three major trophies in one season: the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League! They were the first Italian team ever to do this. In the Champions League final, they beat Bayern Munich 2–0, with both goals scored by Diego Milito.

After Mourinho left, Inter continued to win. In December 2010, they won the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time. This meant they had won five trophies in one year, a "Quintuple"!

New Owners and More Success

Mauro Icardi was Inter's captain from 2015 to 2019.

Over the years, Inter Milan has had different owners. In 2013, a group from Indonesia bought most of the club shares. Then, in 2016, a Chinese company called Suning Holdings Group became the main owner.

After some changes in coaches, Luciano Spalletti became Inter's manager in 2017. He helped Inter get back into the UEFA Champions League after six years, which was a big achievement! In 2018, Steven Zhang became the new president of the club.

In 2019, Antonio Conte became the new coach. Under him, Inter Milan won the Serie A title in 2021! This was their first league title in eleven years, and it ended Juventus' long run of winning nine titles in a row.

After Conte left, Simone Inzaghi took over as coach. He led Inter to win the Supercoppa Italiana in 2022 and the Coppa Italia in 2022. They won the Supercoppa Italiana again in 2023, beating their rivals AC Milan 3-0!

In 2023, Inter Milan reached the Champions League Final for the first time since their amazing Treble win in 2010. They played against Manchester City but lost 1-0 in a close match. Even so, reaching the final was a huge success for the club!