The 2010 UEFA Champions League final was one of the most iconic moments in the history of soccer, as Italian side Inter managed to win their third ever Champions League trophy, ending a 45-year drought. It was the coronation of an almost two-decade ownership of Massimo Moratti, one of the most iconic owners of Italian soccer, who took over the club in 1995 with the aim of bringing Inter back to the summit of European soccer, when his father Angelo won the first two European cups with Argentinian manager Helenio Herrera. Moratti, after years of disappointments despite some incredible transfers such as the one of Ronaldo back in 1997, failed to win the Champions League until he decided to appoint one of the most debated managers around Europe, Jose Mourinho.
In his second and final year in charge at the Italian club, “The Special One” was able to make history at Inter, winning not only the Champions League but also the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia, as Inter became the first and only Italian club as of today to win the treble. After winning 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final on May 5 of 2010 against AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico with a goal of Diego Milito in Rome, and claiming the Serie A title at the final matchday of the season thanks to the same Milito who scored the winning 1-0 against Siena, on May 22 Inter met Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid for the last game of that incredible 2009-10 season.
The road to the final
Incredibly enough, Inter and Bayern Munich both had the chance to win the treble that final in Madrid, but the two sides arrived in different ways at the most important tie of the season. Bayern had a solid group phase where they met Bordeaux, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa while Inter managed to going through in the last mactchday in a group with FC Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev and Rubin Kazan. In particular, the second away clash in Ukraine against Dynamo Kiev was dramatic, as Inter’s late comeback in stoppage time avoided a likely elimination in the group phase. Bayern, later in the tournament, knocked out Fiorentina, Manchester United and then Lyon in the semifinals, while Inter had to win against Chelsea, CSKA Moscow, and the most exciting tie of the tournament, a two-legged semifinal against Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona. Inter managed to get by the Spanish team, who the season before won everything under a new young manager who completely revolutionized the game. The Nerazzurri won 3-1 in Milan before losing 1-0 to FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou, in one of the most tense soccer games in recent history.
Mourinho immediately became an idol not only for the Inter fans but also for Real Madrid as he prevented FC Barcelona from winning the Champions League at the Bernabeu in Madrid. It’s only a coincidence, but a few weeks later, Mourinho didn’t go back to Milan to celebrate the historical title as he decided to stay in Madrid, where a few days later, he was unveiled as the new Real Madrid head coach. In 2019, he spoke to DAZN, explaining for the first time the reason for that decision: “If I had gone back to celebrate in Milan, I wouldn’t have gone to Real Madrid anymore. I chose to escape from emotions.”
Bayern Munich had an incredible run as well under Dutch manager Louis van Gaal, someone who knows the Portuguese manager pretty well as they both worked at FC Barcelona from 1997 to 2000 when Mourinho was the assistant coach of the Dutch manager, before Mourinho started his own managerial career. To mark the respect for his former boss, Mourinho greeted him a few seconds before the referee whistled as Inter won 2-0 in Madrid thanks to the brace of, again, Milito.
Who played in Madrid?
Both teams had to deal with some key absences as Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery was suspended and missed the Madrid final, same as Thiago Motta for Inter who received a red card in the second leg semifinal against FC Barcelona.
Bayern Munich XI: Hans-Jörg Butt; Philipp Lahm, Daniel Van Buyten, Martin Demichelis, Holger Badstuber; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mark van Bommel, Hamit Altıntop, Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller: Ivica Olić.
Inter XI: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Walter Samuel, Lucio, Christian Chivu; Estaban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti; Goran Pandev, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o; Diego Milito.
What happened next?
Right after the final whistle and the celebrations, Inter’s team got back to Milan without Mourinho, who decided to stay in Madrid where, a few days later, he signed his deal with the club owned by Florentino Perez, who wanted him to end the domination of FC Barcelona and Pep Guardiola. The Italian giants decided to appoint former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who was not able to keep up with the expectations high and replaced him in December after winning the FIFA Club World Cup.
Inter’s new coach, Leonardo, started off well and the Nerazzurri met Bayern Munich again in the round of 16 of the 2010-11 Champions League, where they won 3-2 at the Allianz Arena at the end of an eventful second leg. Inter were knocked out surprisingly by another German side, Schalke 04, managed by Ralf Rangnick, and ended the 2010-11 season by winning the Coppa Italia. After this season, Inter started to struggle for multiple years as Moratti stepped down and left his role as owner of the team, leading to new investors such as Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir before the arrival of the Chinese Group Suning which led the team to a new cycle that ended the winless streak in 2021 with the Serie A title, 11 years after the treble and that historical 2009-10 season.
For Bayern Munich, the 2010-11 season was a big disappointment as manager van Gaal was sacked after the Inter defeat and Bayern ended up only third in the Bundesliga, as Jurgen Klopp won his first Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund. Bayern decided to bring back club legend Jupp Heynckes and in his first season, he managed to reach the 2011-12 Champions League final that was played in Munich, but then lost to Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea in penalties. It took only one year, but then Heynckes won the treble during the 2012-13 season at Bayern Munich winning the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal and finally the UEFA Champions League in the Wembley final against Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund.