Football started for me in '82. Italy had just won the world cup and everyone was on the Rossi bandwagon but always wanting to be different I took a liking to Altobelli and an 18 year old called Bergomi. However knew nothing of Inter at the time.
In 83 the family returned to Italy and I couldn't believe the emotions that still existed in Italy a year after the World Cup win, then I was in Roma when they won the scudetto and the passion shown by the Italians for Football hit me like an adrenalin rush. During our visit in 83 we had stayed in Milano with family for a week and the Duomo left it's mark on me also.
On return to Australia it was impossible to view Italian football on Australian TV (didn't start getting shown regularly until 88 until a few years ago) we had domestic football and "the Big Match" a BBC hour programme on the English game. So I followed Liverpool as being a keeper myself I found Grobbelar hilarious.
However after the Liverpool incident in '84 which came after Terry Alderman (cricketer) was put out of the game by English fans I couldn't stomach English football even though Tony Dorigo and Craig Johnstone (two lads raised in Australia) were still doing well.
For a few years from 83-86 still being a young lad I followed Napoli (My mum is from Campania) by reading the results published in the paper two days after the game! No one really cared for Napoli at the time but that all changed in 86 when Diego Armando Maradona lead them to their first Scudetto, overnight everyone was a Napoli fan regardless of where they came from in Italy or elsewhere in the world. Again wanting to be different I had to switch alliances, but where to?
Then it all clicked Altobelli, Bergomi, the Duomo, my family connection to Milano and a one Walter Zenga who had just become no.1 for the azzurri. The more I read about Inter the more I loved them, the reason behind their founding, Meazza, Sandro Mazzola the son of Valentino, Grande Inter, Facchetti, the colours, the stadium it was like an awakening :boogy:
President Pellegrini soon brought in Brehme and Mattaeus along with Nicola Berti. Inter went on to break records in 89 with Trap and the band wagon here in Australia was blue and black but this time the colours stuck. I couldn't move.
But what makes you start the journey as an Inter supporter isn't important. The real importance begins when you start to follow the club. Sticking by them when Berlusconi used his media millions to invent the 40 man squad (I sure he learnt this from the NY Cosmos), the constant taunts in the media regardless how unjust and then the Moggi era where you'd lose faith in Italians as it was blatant and yet no one would prove the biases refereeing (or so you'd thought). Despite the scorn in what seemed an unjust environment where there didn't seem to be a friend in the world outside the blue and black family. The club and it's fans continue to believe their day will come, without jeopardising it's principles (ok a minor passport incident) to quote CurvaNord "Nessun titolo ha piu valore della Lealta e dell'Onore"
It was the passion and emotion that drove me to the game, and which club better than Inter can give you the full ride?
Forum Supporter
