Madrid to Milan: our return with the trophy and the party at daybreak

MILAN - The sweetest of sunrises, and perhaps the most highly anticipated too. Upon Webb’s final whistle at the Bernabeu on the evening of 22 May 2010, a Nerazzurri adventure came to an end, but the celebrations began. The Inter fans present in Spain partied late into the night, as did the thousands in Piazza del Duomo, but after the team finished their celebrations at the Bernabeu, they were more than ready to return to Italy with the trophy.

“They’re bringing home the cup.” Having dreamed of it for years, Inter fans now just had to wait a number of hours: from the Duomo to San Siro, a celebratory procession began to fill the stadium stands, late at night, all waiting for the arrival of that flight from Madrid to Malpensa. Everyone was dressed up to celebrate, just like it was the most important game set to be played, with the stadium screens showing scenes of our triumph. Music and chants, the stadium floodlights fully lit. There were a few heavy eyes around, until the announcement at four in the morning that the squad had left Madrid. As Marco Materazzi revealed, this delay was principally due to Goran Pandev’s “slowness” in the post-match anti-doping procedures.

The flight from Madrid to Milan with the Champions League trophy, one of the most joyous moments of our players’ careers. And that was even before their triumphant arrival greeted by an ecstatic San Siro crowd at six in the morning.

From Zanetti to Milito, all of our biggest players from the Triplete have recounted that never in their careers had they seen such a full and excited stadium at dawn. With the first flashes of light, and the black of night giving way to the blue of the clear sky on 23 May, our boys walked out onto the pitch: Javier Zanetti and Angelomario Moratti, son of our President Massimo at the time, to deliver the Champions League trophy to the Nerazzurri people.

Interista delirium, photos, fireworks, chants, the players with their children and spouses, Marko Arnautovic’s sheer delight in entertaining the fans. A spontaneous and wonderful party. Unforgettable.