Inter Hall of Fame 2021: defensive candidates

Voting for Inter's Hall of Fame has begun and fans are invited to pick four Nerazzurri legends who deserve to become part of the illustrious cast of Inter stars selected in previous editions. Fans can choose one player per position: goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward.

INTER HALL OF FAME: CLICK HERE TO VOTE

At present the Hall of Fame has three defenders who made tremendous contributions to the Nerazzurri cause: Javier Zanetti, Giacinto Facchetti and Beppe Bergomi.

There are 47 candidates to join these Inter legends. Read on to find out more.

Will the next inductee be a member of the treble-winning side of 2010 or from the groundbreaking Grande Inter team on the 1960s? It's expected that there will be little to choose between the candidates.

From the club's foundation until the golden era with Helenio Herrera there have been many defenders who've made their mark on the Nerazzurri. These include Luigi Allemandi, who won the World Cup with Italy in 1934, Giuseppe Ballerio, Ivano Blason, Giovanni Bolzoni, Carmelo Buonocore, Oscar Engler, Gustavo Francesconi, Giovanni Giacomazzi, Guido Gianfardoni, Attilio Giovannini, Ugo Locatelli, Bruno Padulazzi, Silvio Pietroboni, Duilio Setti and Guido Vincenzi.

The Grande Inter side of the 1960s was considered a trail-blazing team which defined the future of defending in football. Tarcisio Burgnich, Aristide Guarneri, and Armando Picchi were three key figures from that era. The latter captained the club and made 257 appearances, his image forever being associated with the club's triumphs in that decade. Spartaco Landini also featured for Inter during this period; he found a spot in the starting line-up after previously being used as a back-up player.

There are several Nerazzurri from the 70s and 80s also in with a chance at being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Mauro Bellugi - who sadly passed away this year - Nazzareno Canuti, Mario Giubertoni, Angiolino Gasparini and Adriano Fedele are among the nominees. Two captains from this era are also among the list of nominees: Graziano Bini, who helped Inter to Scudetto success in 1980 and also scored the winner in the 1978 Coppa Italia final, and Beppe Baresi, who made 559 appearances for Inter between 1977 and 1992.

One member of Giovanni Trapattoni's Inter was already inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020: Beppe Bergomi. Teammates from that era Andreas Brehme, Andrea Mandorlini and Riccardo Ferri are among the candidates this time around.

As for the 1990s, members of the UEFA Cup triumphs in 1994 and 1998 also feature on this list: Sergio Battistini, Paganin brothers Antonio and Massimo, Gianluca Festa, Francesco Colonnese, Salvatore Fresi, Fabio Galante and Taribo West.

Last but not least, the Treble winners. The rocks at the back for Inter in this era who are in with a chance of induction are Ivan Cordoba, Marco Materazzi, Walter Samuel, Cristian Chivu, Maicon and Lucio.

INTER HALL OF FAME: CLICK HERE TO VOTE