Happy Birthday, Alvaro Recoba! Five things about the former Inter player

His goals, his magical left foot, and his outrageous plays have brightened the eyes of all Inter fans. Alvaro Recoba turns 48 today. The former striker made a total of 261 appearances wearing the Inter shirt. On his birthday, let's revisit his Inter career with 5 things to know about the striker.

THE POWER OF THE LEFT FOOT All Inter fans still remember that powerful yet precise left foot. An extraordinary virtuosity, too beautiful not to fall in love with. Behind that strength lies a secret that Recoba himself revealed some time ago: "My father, when we were children, said that only the leather ball could exist in the house. The ball had to be hard, never kick those lighter plastic ones and naturally, when I started playing, I was already stronger. I don't know if that was the reason or genetics or what, but I was already making a difference, perhaps because of the strength I had in striking."

THE DEBUT DOUBLE Ready, set, and straight into the heart of the Nerazzurri fans. Arriving in Milan in the summer of 1997, he immediately put on a show, scoring a double on the first day of the league against Brescia. A powerful shot from the halfway line that sneaked under the crossbar and a surgical free-kick.

72 GOALS

He scored 72 goals with Inter. Among the many goals, one of the most iconic is certainly the one scored from midfield against Empoli on 25 January, 1998. Still with his left foot, but this time from the edge of the box, it's the goal that completed the comeback on 9 January, 2005, against Sampdoria. Finally, it's impossible not to mention his last goal in the Nerazzurri shirt, namely the masterpiece from a corner kick on 29 April, 2007, against Empoli. The best way to end a series of goals with a very high technical level.

ORIENTAL NICKNAME Alvaro was known to everyone by the nickname "El Chino". The reason for the nickname derives from facial features similar to those of the Orient.

7 TROPHIES With the Inter shirt, he contributed to winning two Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia trophies, two Supercoppa Italiana titles, and a UEFA Cup.

On his 48th birthday, the best wishes to "El Chino" Alvaro Recoba from all at FC Internazionale Milano and all Nerazzurri fans.