FC Internazionale Milano, more commonly known simply as Inter, was founded on 09 March 1908 and the club has recently celebrated its centenary in style. Inter is one of the biggest and most famous Italian clubs and has the distinction of being the only Italian club that has always been in Serie A. The club was established by Italians and Swiss as a breakaway from AC Milan. The founders were angry about the domination of Italians at AC Milan and, as the name suggests, the club was open to foreigners.

Success came quickly as Inter won their first Italian championship (Scudetto) in 1910 and again in 1920. By 1928 Inter was forced by the ruling Fascists to merge with Milanese Unione Sportiva and change their name to AS Ambrosiana-Inter. They won the championship in 1929 under the new name and added two Scudettos just before the Second World War. After the war the club reverted to the old name and added championships in 1953 and 1954. That was a prelude to the greatest years in the history of the club.

The glorious era in the 1960s is often referred to as La Grande Inter and the success sprang from the tactical genius of Moroccan coach Helenio Herrera, whose revolutionary system “Catenaccio” emphasised a highly organised defense. The system proved so successful that Inter won the Italian title in 1963, 1965 and 1966, but even more importantly, they won the European Cup in both 1964 and 1965. In 1964 they defeated Real Madrid and the following year Benfica was beaten in the final. The lynchpin of the side was the Spaniard Luis Suárez. Other notable players were Sandro Mazzola, a goalscoring attacking midfielder and Giacinto Facchetti, one of the best defenders ever.
In 1967 Inter lost the European Cup final to Celtic and were defeated yet again
in the final in 1972 by a Johan Cruyff-inspired Ajax.

The 1970s and 1980 were a relatively tranquil period, although the Scudetto was won in 1971 and 1980. Inter had a revival when they won the championship in 1989 with the Germans Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus as the driving force. However, the 1990s was a dark period domestically in the history of the club.

Inter struggled in the league while AC Milan and Juventus dominated the league and achieved European Cup success. The nadir came in 1993/94 when the Italian giants were only one point from their first ever relegation. However, Inter had success in the UEFA Cup, which was won three times in the 1990s.
The 1990s remains the only decade in the history of the club, when Inter failed to win the championship. President Moratti splashed the cash to bring the Scudetto to the fans and Inter twice broke the world record fee for a player when they signed Roanldo and Christian Vieri.

The new millennium has brought smiles to the faces of Inter fans. Inter has won the Italian championship in the last three seasons often relying heavily on foreign players such as Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Cambiasso and Figo.
The 2008/09 season will see former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at the helm as Inter desperately seek the Champions League triumph that has eluded them in recent years despite dominating the Serie A.

Inter enjoy a famous rivalry with AC Milan. The so-called Derby della Madonnina with AC Milan is one of the most famous matches in the world. Historically Inter draw their support from the middle-class while AC Milan is supported by predominantly working-class people and migrants from the South.

Many famous players have worn the black and blue stripes of Inter. The nickname Nerazzurri literally means black and blue. The most important players include; Alessandro Altobelli, Roberto Baggio, Giuseppe Baresi, Giuseppe Bergomi, Giacinto Facchetti, Jair, Sandro Mazzola, Giuseppe Meazza, Christian Vieri, Hernan Crespo, Daniel Passarella, Ronaldo, Andreas Brehme, Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Liam Brady, Dennis Bergkamp and Luis Suarez.

HONOURS:

Serie A (17): 1909-10; 1919-20; 1929-30; 1937-38; 1939-40; 1952-53; 1953-54; 1962-63; 1964-65; 1965-66; 1970-71; 1979-80; 1988-89; 2005-06; 2006-07; 2007-08; 2008-09

Coppa Italia (5): 1938-39; 1977-78; 1981-82; 2004-05; 2005-06

Supercoppa Italiana Champions (4): 1989; 2005; 2006; 2008

European Cup/Champions League (2):1963-64; 1964-65

UEFA Cup (3): 1990-91; 1993-94; 1997-98

Intercontinental Cup (2): 1964; 1965