Many happy returns, Walter Samuel!

MILAN – His eyes always firmly set on his opponent, his concentration levels at a maximum. A man of few words but with plenty of substance. Walter Samuel conquered the hearts of the Nerazzurri faithful, who accompanied and applauded him throughout the nine seasons he spent at the Club. A silent leader, a reassuring presence for the fans and a fearsome foe for adversaries, ‘The Wall’ made 236 appearances for Inter and scored 17 goals, the first of which came in his first league outing. Indeed, he found the net with his head against Chievo on 21 September 2005, just like he did when he decided the #DerbyMilano during the 2012/13 campaign. With just 180 minutes on the clock, it’s one of the fastest goals that has been scored in the cross-city clash. He was a player who always displayed his determination and fighting spirit from the first to the last minute, just like he did on a certain night in Madrid. Three minutes before the end of the Champions League final in 2010, his gaze met Javier Zanetti's:

“When the amount of stoppage time was announced in Madrid, I saw Julio Cesar with the ball in his hands. I turned to Walter and was already crying. He looked at me with a certain expression, as if to say ‘there are still three minutes to go! Let’s remain focused’.”

From 2005 to 2014, Samuel won the Scudetto (x5), the Coppa Italia (x3), the Supercoppa Italia (x4), the Champions League (x1) and the Club World Cup (x1). Many happy returns to ‘The Wall’!