Giuseppe Bergomi has been conferred the One Club Man Award by Athletic Club Bilbao

Legends

— Dec 4th 2024

2 MIN READING

The ex-Inter captain has been conferred this prestigious award created by Athletic Club, dedicated to players who spent their entire career at a single club.

BILBAO - One career in one shirt. Giuseppe Bergomi has been given the prestigious One Club Man Award, an award conferred by Athletic Club Bilbao to players that dedicated their entire career to a single team. The prize was awarded to the ex-Inter defender before kick-off for the match at San Mamés, between the home side and Real Madrid. Before this, on Wednesday morning, the Inter Hall of Famer took part in a press conference for the award, alongside Maria Gstöttner, who received the women’s award. The Basque club have pride and the value of belonging in their DNA, values that the great figures of Inter’s history share: Bergomi, with 756 official appearances, is second in the rankings when it comes to the number of appearances for Inter, behind only Javier Zanetti, and is also the youngest Inter debutant of all-time.

Bergomi did not hide his emotion and pride after receiving this special award.

“Being here today is a big honour for me, Athletic Club are known all over the world thanks to their history and unique values. When the news broke in Italy that I was receiving this award, many people called me and underlined the importance of this award, which filled me with pride. I wore the Inter shirt my entire career and it is amazing that I am being recognised for this, it’s testimony to the value of playing for just one team and being an example for other players. Today it’s a bit more complicated when it comes to belonging to just one team, but we have to try and understand what this strong sense of belonging truly means ”

Giuseppe Bergomi

Bergomi paved his way to becoming an Inter legend right from his first appearance as an Inter player. From his debut at sixteen years and one month of age in 1980, in the Coppa Italia match against Juventus, to the goodbye match in 1999, Bergomi has written unforgettable pages in the Inter story, leading Inter as captain and winning a host of trophies: the Record Scudetto from 1988/89, Three UEFA Cups (1990/91, 1993/94, 1997/98), Coppa Italia 1981/82 and the Supercoppa Italiana in 1989. His contributions were not just related to Inter: with Italy, he recorded 81 appearances and lifted the World Cup in 1982. Bergomi has joined a list of legends who have received the One Club Man Award, including players such as Ryan Giggs, Paolo Maldini and Carles Puyol.

“Zio” has been part of the Inter Hall of Fame since 2020: a prestigious award conferred by Inter fans, who have always adored the values that Giuseppe Bergomi has demonstrated for nearly 20 years, and that even today are rewarded and recognised by foreign clubs.