I was born in Milan in 1999. My father grew up supporting Inter, and so did I. In 2010 any older Inter fan would tell me how lucky I was to see the treble happen so quickly. I was also one of those kids that got ‘used to’ winning every year. After that came the pain. Here are some of my most painful memories as an Inter fan.
12th of April, 2005
My first heartbreak came when I was just six years old. I remember I went to the stadium to see the Derby with my father’s friend and his son. I had just started to train in the Inter-Academy (when you are that young there is no selection process), and was just really beginning to support. The game in itself is something I cannot remember particularly well. What I do remember was the horrific gesture by the Nerazzurri ultras. Flares were decorating as usual the stadium. Suddenly, a few were thrown towards Nelson Dida. The legendary Rossoneri keeper started trying to avoid and run away from them. Until one hit his head. I was in shock. My father’s friend immediately took me back home. I was in tears. How could the team I love do such a gesture? It took me a few months to understand the difference between Club and Fans. Before that, I just thought Inter was one big family. My heart broke.
22nd of May, 2010
Can this really be? Any fan will immediately recognize this date. The night Diego Alberto Milito put two past Butt. The night Zanetti lifted the big-eared cup over his head. But also the night of Materazzi in that parking lot. He is in tears and hugging Jose Mourinho. A black car arrives for the Portuguese. In that car was Florentino Perez, ripping away the manager-legend from our colors. Sure, most of the Nerazzuri nation was celebrating, but all of our hearts broke a little that night.
13th of March, 2012
Since the treble, the quality had evidently dropped. Some players had left, some seemed to be ghosts of their former selves. Yet the team was still somewhat good. It was nowhere close to the best Inter, but lightyears better than the worst Inter we have seen just a few years later. On that day Inter beat Olympique Marseille 2-1. Not enough to pass the round of 16. It was a moment of realization. The fact that from now on the team would just get worse was unanimously understood and accepted. Treble Inter was dead, this was a new era.
14th of September, 2016
The good thing about rock-bottom is that you can only go up from there. Rockbottom was reached during the 2016 season. One of the most representative games was played in San Siro. Inter received anonymous Israelian team Hapoel Be’er Sheva. We are back in European games and we are keen to make something of it. Or at least that’s what I thought. On the 14th of September 2016 we lose in front of all the Nerazzurri fans 0-2. An anonymous game of depression, with the help of the infamous Sprite-colored jersey, lets the Israelians win. Just a few months later, they beat us in their stadium officially nailing us into the coffin we had built for ourselves. Inter does not pass the qualifying rounds of Europa League.
