Inter Milan will look to add more silverware to their glistening trophy cabinet when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Munich on Saturday night.
The Nerazzurri certainly have the edge when it comes to European pedigree, having won nine continental and international trophies across their illustrious history, and they will be looking to add 'il decimo' at the Allianz Arena at the weekend.
Inter have enjoyed success across all of UEFA's competitions, and it is in the Champions League where they have often had their greatest nights, but also some of their worst.
Ahead of the showpiece occasion on Saturday, Sports Mole looks back at Inter's record in Champions League finals throughout their history.
1964: Inter 3-1 Real Madrid
© Imago
Back when Real Madrid first enjoyed their dominance in Europe, they competed in their seventh final in 1964, having won five of the previous six, while Inter were taking part in their first.
It was Inter's first season in Europe altogether, and by beating Everton, Monaco, Partizan Belgrade and Borussia Dortmund, they met Real Madrid in the final, which was held in Vienna.
Los Blancos were no match for the Nerazzurri, though, as the Italian side came out on top, winning 3-1 at the Praterstadion, thanks to a brace from Sandro Mazzola, and another from Aurelio Milani, as the legendary Helenio Herrera saw his men get the better of a Real team that included Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano, Paco Gento, and Amancio.
1965: Inter 1-0 Benfica
Not content with just one European Cup in their trophy cabinet, Inter went hell for leather to win it again the following year.
Beating another Merseyside club on the way in Liverpool, as well as Dinamo Bucharest and Rangers, in the final Inter were matched up with Benfica, who were already two-time winners of the competition themselves, and had Eusebio in their ranks.
Inter had home advantage, though, as the final was played at San Siro in front of a whopping 89,000 spectators, and they made home comforts count, with Brazilian wide man Jair scoring the only goal shortly before half time, as the Italians retained the title they had won the previous year.
1967: Inter 1-2 Celtic
© Imago
Inter failed to reach the final in 1966, falling to Real Madrid in the semi-finals, but they made amends for that by ensuring they returned in 1967, exacting revenge on Los Blancos, before beating CSKA Sofia in the semi-finals to set up a showdown with Celtic in Lisbon.
However, for the first time, Inter were unsuccessful in a European final, going down 2-1 to the team now forever known as the 'Lisbon Lions', given the courage they showed to fight back from going behind.
Celtic were debutants in the competition, and no British club had ever won it, meaning they were the underdogs, and that seemed justified when Mazzola put Inter ahead with an early penalty, but after the interval, the Scots roared back, with Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers netting the goals that turned the game on its head, handing glory to Jock Stein's men.
1972: Inter 0-2 Ajax
© Imago
After a five-year absence from the competition following defeat to Celtic, Inter returned in the 1971-72 season, and again took the European Cup by storm, getting the better of AEK Athens, Borussia Monchengladbach, Standard Liege and their 1967 foes Celtic to reach the final, where Ajax awaited.
This was the legendary Ajax team which included Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens among others, and made up the backbone of the Netherlands squad that revolutionised football in the 1970s.
With such talent on display, it was no surprise that Ajax got the better of Inter in the final at De Kuip in Rotterdam, retaining the title they had won a year earlier, as the Inter side, which included some of their winners from the 1960s such as Jair and Mazzola, were no match for the likes of Cruyff, who netted both goals in the final.
2010: Inter 2-0 Bayern Munich
© Imago
It took almost four decades for Inter to return to the pinnacle of European club football, despite the explosion in quality in Serie A in the 1990s, as the competition in the Italian game was simply too great for them to usurp the likes of Juventus and AC Milan for much of that era.
However, under Jose Mourinho that all changed, and after already taking the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia, they had the opportunity to become the first Italian club to win the treble when they faced Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu in 2010.
The final that was not the final had already taken place in the semis, when Mourinho outwitted Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona side against the odds, winning 3-2 on aggregate, and the Nerazzurri entered the 2010 final as slight favourites, and that was justified, as Diego Milito, who had already scored the goals that won them the Scudetto and the Coppa, netted twice in the final to bring European glory to the black and blue half of Milan for a third time.
2023: Inter 0-1 Manchester City
© Imago
After sinking into the doldrums after Mourinho's exit, Inter's resurgence was illustrated most by their run to the Champions League final in 2022-23 under Simone Inzaghi, progressing through a group that included Barca and Bayern, before beating city rivals Milan in the semi-finals.
That set Inter up with an encounter against Man City in Istanbul, with Guardiola seeking to avenge a personal vendetta dating back from 2010, as well as winning the treble with the club, and their first ever Champions League title.
Sadly for Inzaghi and Inter, Guardiola was successful in those ambitions, as Rodri's second-half strike decided the final, despite Inter arguably being the better team for large periods, hitting the bar through Federico Dimarco and seeing Romelu Lukaku squander a golden opportunity in the dying stages.
Andrew Delaney
