Sandro Mazzola dead at 83: Italy and Inter Milan legend passes away as tributes pour in for ‘world football legend’

ITALY football legend Sandro Mazzola has passed away at the age of 83. The iconic midfielder spent the entirety of his playing career with Serie A giants Inter Milan, building a stacked trophy cabinet on the way. Sandro Mazzola has passed away at the age of 83 Credit: Getty – Contributor The Italy ace spent the entirety of his career with his boyhood club Inter Milan Credit: PA:Empics Sport Mazzola, a keystone of the ‘Grande Inter’ side of the 1960s, helped secure back-to-back European Cups. His one-and-only team and boyhood club, Inter, said: “There are those who enter history. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! “And then there are those who become the very history of Inter itself. “From a young Nerazzurri boy to an eternal symbol, Sandro Mazzola has spanned generations, winning, thrilling, and passing down the love for these colours. “He shone on the field, and he shines even now, the star with the moustache. “Who, as he has often recounted, had just one, final wish: ‘To be remembered as a good man, who always gives his all, even when it seems impossible.'” The 1965 Serie A top-scorer went on to net a whopping 162 goals in 572 appearances in the famous black and blue shirt. His domestic accolades included four Serie A titles, two Intercontinental Cups, and finishing second behind Johan Cruyff for the 1971 Ballon d’Or. Most read in Sport The ace picked up four Scudetti, two Intercontinental Cups, and was a runner up at the 1971 Ballon d’Or Credit: Colorsport His Italy side also reached the 1970 World Cup final against Brazil. He scored twice to defeat giants Real Madrid 3-1 in the European Cup final in the 1963/64 campaign. After the game, legend Ferenc Puskas handed over his shirt to Mazzola and said: “I once played against your father and you honoured his memory.” Valentino Mazzola, Sandro’s dad, also starred in Serie A for a blockbuster side Torino in the 1940s. But his dad tragically passed in the 1949 Superga air disaster before Sandro had even reached his seventh birthday. Comment now