Ranking the 10 Inter Milan best players of all time

With more than 100 years of history, Inter Milan is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Italy. Not only that, the Milan team is also a well-known name across Europe, having reached the Champions League final multiple times. To achieve such massive success, it is understandable that Inter Milan has become an ideal destination for many famous stars. Let’s take a look at “Ranking the 10 Inter Milan best players of all time” compiled by admin Kingsoccertips right below.

Top 10 Inter Milan best players of All Time

1/ Ronaldo de Lima

Leading the list of Inter Milan best players is the famous football legend – Ronaldo de Lima. Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima was born on September 18, 1976, in Brazil. In 1997, Ronaldo, along with Inter Milan, broke the world record, making him the first player since Diego Maradona to break the world transfer record twice.

After completing the transfer from Barca to Inter, “Alien” became the second player in the world to break the transfer record twice (after Maradona). In his first season with Inter, Ronaldo showed his killer instincts with 25 goals in Serie A and became the best foreign player in the league.

2/ Youri Djorkaeff

Djorkaeff was born in Lyon in 1968 and started playing professional football at the age of 17 with Grenoble in Ligue 2. This midfielder, who is 1.79m tall, is famous in France. However, his career flourished the most with Internazionale, where he is often remembered as one of the Inter Milan best players.

Despite his creativity in passing and skillful individual technique, people very rarely see him showcase these skills. With his keen tactical vision and centimeter-accurate right foot in his finishes, Youri is considered Inter’s most important link during this time.

3/ Alessandro Altobelli – Inter Milan best players

Alessandro Altobelli was born on November 28, 1955, in Sonnino, Latina. He is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker and won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy. He was nicknamed Spillo (“Needle”) because of his slim build.

He became one of the greatest and most efficient Italian strikers in the late 1970s and 1980s. He is currently the all-time top scorer in the Coppa Italia, having scored 56 goals in 93 appearances. He is the 9th highest-scoring Italian player in all competitions, with nearly 300 goals in his career, solidifying his place among the Inter Milan best players.

4/ Marco Materazzi

The next name in the ranking of the best Inter Milan players is the legendary Marco Materazzi. Materazzi was born on 19 August 1973 in Lecce in Apulia, where his father, Giuseppe Materazzi, played for the city club in Serie C. Growing up, Marco Materazzi became a fan of Lazio when Giuseppe became manager of the club in the 1980s.

At Inter Milan, Materazzi is known for his solid and aggressive play, excellent defense, and sharp situational judgment. Not only was he good defensively, but Materazzi also showed his remarkable attacking ability in the role of a defender.  His goals often come from inside the box; in 1-on-1 dogfights, ‘Matrix’ is always the one who gains the advantage.

5/ Wesley Sneijder

In terms of explosiveness, Sneijder beat Modric when he scored five goals in the 2010 World Cup, which is an impressive number for a midfielder. Sneijder is undoubtedly one of the best No. 10s in football history. But what makes him special compared to Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Diego Maradona is his unique appellation. In his most explosive year, Sneijder still failed to win a single individual title that year, yet he remains one of the Inter Milan best players due to his exceptional impact on the team.

The individual titles Sneijder owns are “Best Midfielder of UEFA” (2010), “King of Champions League Assists” (2010), and “Best UEFA Goal” (2008). Sneijder is not the type of player who plays explosively every season. However, his professionalism is undisputed.

6/ Diego Milito – Inter Milan best players

Some players don’t need a brilliant career to be remembered forever by fans. These were Paolo Rossi in España in 1982, Toto Squillaci in Italy in 1990, and most recently Diego Milito for his divine treble with Inter in 2010. Of the oriundi (players of Italian descent born abroad), Argentina accounts for half. Diego Milito is loved both by Inter fans and by Tifosi in general, partly because of that connection.

In the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2010, his brother Gabriel played as a defender for Barcelona, alongside his brother Diego, who played for Inter Milan. The outcome of that conversation is clear to everyone. Inter overcame Barca and then went straight on to win the Champions League title, completing a historic treble alongside Jose Mourinho. Milito has been a key figure in that journey with 30 goals, including a brace in the Champions League final, where his side beat Bayern Munich 2-0. His incredible performance in that season solidified his status among the Inter Milan best players.

7/ Lothar Matthaus

Number 6 on this list of Inter Milan’s best players is the French football legend, Lothar Matthaus. Diego Maradona once said that Lothar Matthaus is the best player he has ever played against because he recognizes the talent and bravery of his colleagues in Serie A and the World Cup.

Talking about Lothar Matthaus, we are talking about records. He participated in five World Cups and played a total of 25 matches—more than any other player. Matthaus is also the most capped player for Die Mannschaft with 150 caps, making the list of the 125 best-living players by Pelé.

8/ Tarcisio Burgnich

Tarcisio Burgnich (Italian pronunciation: [tarˈtʃiːzjo ˈburɲitʃ]; April 25, 1939 – May 26, 2021) was an Italian football coach and player, who played as a defender. Throughout his career, Burgnich played for Udinese, Juventus, Palermo, Inter Milan, and Napoli. Though he won titles with Juventus and Napoli, he is best known for his time at Inter Milan, where he was a member of the Grande Inter team under coach Helenio Herrera. His contributions to that legendary squad have rightfully earned him a spot among the Inter Milan best players.

As a versatile player, he can play in any defensive position and is also skilled at right-back, center-back, and sweeping defender. Due to his immense physique and tenacious play, Inter teammate Armando Picchi, who was the team’s captain and a sweeping defender, gave him the nickname ‘La Roccia’ (The Rock).

9/ Giuseppe Bergomi

Surely in the ranking Inter Milan best players there must be the name Giuseppe Bergomi. Giuseppe Bergomi (born 22 December 1963, in Milan) is an Italian former footballer who spent his playing career with Internazionale. He was also a key member of the Italian national team during the 1980s and 1990s.

He was affectionately known to fans as Lo Zio (the uncle) because he participated in the 1982 World Cup at the age of 18. He is also nicknamed Capitano (captain) because he has worn the national team armband many times. Bergomi is also considered one of the best defenders in Italy’s history.

10/ Giuseppe Meazza – Inter Milan best players

If you go to Italy and ask who the greatest player in the history of Italian football is, the answer will surely be Giuseppe Meazza. This man, donning the blue jerseys of the national team, twice stood at the top of world football. The people of Inter Milan liked him and named their stadium after him. He is considered one of the best players in Italian football history.

His playing days at Internazionale helped him improve rapidly. Only three years later, he was called up to the Italian national team. In 1934, Giuseppe Meazza represented Italy at the FIFA World Cup, which was also his first World Cup. What is special is that the tournament that year was held in their homeland, and of course, the Italians were keen to defend the trophy to keep it in their country.

Conclusion

To achieve such impressive accomplishments today, it is impossible not to mention the excellent players who have contributed to securing the trophies in history. For the vast majority of Inter Milan fans, these 10 Inter Milan best players deserve to become the symbol of the club. Of course, the coaches and the elite also deserve significant credit. Inter is now a very difficult team to beat, and there is no doubt that the team will produce many more famous names.

See also: 10 Juventus best players of all time