Awards aplenty for Inter at the Gran Gala del Calcio 2021

MILAN - Inter have been given the award of Club of the Year at the Gran Gala del Calcio AIC, the ceremony which recognises players, managers, and referees who have been deemed to have performed the best over the 2020/21 Serie A season.

The Nerazzurri scooped this accolade thanks to their terrific Scudetto-winning campaign, in which the club racked up 91 points and sealed the title with four matchdays to spare.

Inter’s CEO of Sport, Giuseppe Marotta, was on hand to pick up the award and shared his thoughts on the occasion: "We’re very proud to have won this award which is the icing on the cake of season in which we won the Scudetto. Inter are once again back in a position befitting on the club’s history and tradition.

"The title win as well as this award are clear evidence of the hard work put in from everyone at the club: both the team which takes to the field and those behind the scenes. This includes a lot of unsung heroes such as men and women who contribute a lot to the club’s running every day.

"The milestone we’ve achieved is the result of the investment, foresight, and vision shown by the owner, who’s always worked closely alongside us and has helped us achieve this significant objective over the years."

Beyond the team award were several individual accolades dedicated to male and female players as well as coaching staff. Inter dominated the 2020/21 edition, and the voting was done by a top-class panel made up of coaches, referees, current and former national team coaching staff, and male and female footballers from Serie A.

Romelu Lukaku was given the Player of the Year award while Antonio Conte picked up the Coach of the Year award. The 2020/21 Team of the Year features five Inter Scudetto winners: Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolo Barella, Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku.

Meanwhile the women’s Team of the Year features a familiar face: Inter Women’s Francesca Durante is the chosen goalkeeper, who spent last season at Verona. 

Nicolo Barella shared his thoughts on being included in the Team of the Year: "I’m delighted to receive this award for the third year in a row. I’d like to point out that without the help of my team-mates I wouldn’t be able to achieve such recognition.

"Serie A has been tougher this season; there are many teams fighting for the title and we won’t give up until the last breath. That’s what I’m aiming for, along with reaching the World Cup."

Alessandro Bastoni also gave his opinion on his achievement of making Serie A’s best 11: "I hope that this is the first of many appearances in this team; it’s nice when you get recognition from your fellow professionals." 

Fellow defender Stefan de Vrij also appeared in the Team of the Year and commented: "Last year we managed to win the Scudetto; we wanted it so much. This award is nice because the other players voted for me, that’s why it’s especially satisfying."