Inter president Beppe Marotta used the moments before Roma-Inter to pay tribute to Sandro Mazzola, describing the former forward as an enduring part of the Nerazzurri’s identity and a figure whose example must remain present inside the club.
Mazzola’s place in Inter history
Marotta reflected on the loss of Mazzola as a chapter closing in Inter’s long story, calling him “a piece of the Nerazzurri legend that is leaving us.”
For the president, Mazzola’s importance went well beyond his standing as a former player. He spent 17 years in Inter colours and helped shape the Grande Inter era under coach Helenio Herrera and president Angelo Moratti.
- Mazzola represented Inter for 17 years.
- He was one of the defining figures of the Grande Inter side.
- That team was built during the Herrera coaching years and Angelo Moratti’s presidency.
- Marotta said Inter have a responsibility to protect and pass on that heritage.
“It is up to us to preserve that memory,” Marotta said. “A club becomes great when it is able to carry out that task.”
Values to carry into the present
Marotta argued that the memory of Mazzola should not be treated as a museum piece. In his view, the values associated with the former Inter man must be handed to the current generation at the club.
He said those principles should be shared with Inter’s young players and that Mazzola’s career remained an example worth following, not only within the Nerazzurri environment but more widely in the game.
“There are important values within that memory,” Marotta said. “We must take them as an example and pass them on to our boys at Inter. They are examples to imitate.”
Roma-Inter as a test of performance
Turning to the match in Rome, Marotta struck a cautious note. He felt that, at this stage, any single result would offer only a partial indication of the wider campaign, placing greater emphasis on Inter’s performance at the Stadio Olimpico.
- Marotta said the quality of Inter’s display mattered more than the immediate outcome.
- He recognised Roma’s positive football and the approval it has earned.
- He praised the experience of Roma’s coach and the ideas he gives his players.
- He also noted the impact created by the home stadium.
“Any result today would be inconclusive,” Marotta said. “What matters more is the performance we can produce against a Roma side that has also received praise for its style of play.”
Marotta added that he appreciated both the experience of Roma’s manager and the concepts transmitted to the squad, regardless of changes among the players. In a stadium capable of generating such momentum, he suggested, Inter would need to measure themselves properly against the occasion as well as the opponent.
