Argentina to Spain. Spain to Argentina, and then back to Spain. Mancini to Mourinho. Stamarccioni to Mazzari. From a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 formation. The only piece that has remained the same in these series of changes is the figure of Esteban "El Cuchu" Cambiasso (RMC 1996-1998). Now, at Inter Milan, he has not changed one bit.
Foundation
Inter Milan has had an ever-changing atmosphere ever since its inception. The second Milanese football institution came about thanks to its rival's (AC Milan) high concentration of Italian-born players. The city's foreign residents were looking for a team to associate themselves with, and, in 1908, F.C. Internazionale Milano was born [1].
Pillars
Fast forwarding through a history of ups and downs, Inter has managed to stay in the Italian top-flight since the Serie A's inception in 1929. In its multi-faceted history, the Nerazzuri's have been able to cope with their ever-changing environment thanks to the players that have become its pillars over the years. Notable players like Giuseppe Meazza and Helenio Herrera held Inter together during its early years and golden era of the 1960s. More recently, the leadership of Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso have helped keep Inter together during its darkest times. The former became captain in 1999 and has been at the club for almost two decades [2]. The latter came from Real Madrid in 2004 and instantly became a reference point on and off the field.
Cambiasso began his footballing career in the reserve team of Argentinos Juniors in 1995, at the age of 15. A year later, Real Madrid swooped him up to play in their reserve team. Argentinos Juniors did not like that the Spanish giants took one of their prized assets and, recurring to FIFA, asked to be compensated fairly. A year later, Argentinos Juniors received around $2 million indemnization from the Spanish giants. Meanwhile, Cambiasso was racking up 42 appearances and four goals, helping his side reach 2nd place and direct ascension from of Spain's third division. As it's custom with the Real Madrid philosophy, the, then, 19 year old from Buenos Aires was sent back to Argentina to gain experience. And in 2002, Cambiasso returned to the Iberian peninsula to enjoy another stint in Spanish capital during the "Galactico" Era. After his contract expired in 2004, "Cuchu" signed with Inter Milan, a team that was going through its darkest time in the Italian Serie A [3].
Cambiasso hit the ground running. He helped lift his squad's spirit and win the Coppa Italia in his first season and, along with AC Milan's Kaká, was recognized as one of the most outstanding players in Italy. Under Roberto Mancini, both Cambiasso and Inter began to see the silverware the club had long sought for. After the match-fixing scandal involving Juventus and AC Milan among other clubs, Inter Milan were awarded the 2005-06 league championship. They defended their title in 2006-07 and again 2007-08 under Mancini. When Jose Mourinho took over in 2008-09, the Portuguese simply picked up where Mancini left off and helped Inter win their fourth and fifth scudetto, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League in 2010 [4].
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[3] http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esteban_Cambiasso
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esteban_Cambiasso
[5] "Cambiasso, un ganador". Cancha Llena (in Spanish). 18 December 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
[6] http://us.soccerway.com/teams/italy/fc-internazionale-milano/1244/?ICID=TN_04_01_06
[7] http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/404786/Live
[8] http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sbnation/union/SBNation_20130927_Inter_Milan_rising_once_again_under_the_watchful_eye_of_Walter_Mazzarri.html
[9] http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2013/04/28/3938591/inter-rocked-by-serious-zanetti-injury
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