MILAN – "I still remember our 0-2 win over Juventus. It was 16 May 1965, myself and Gori got the goals. That victory helped us win the Scudetto, the same year we won the Intercontinental Cup and our second successive European Cup," recalls Luis Suarez, as we talk about Inter’s rivalry with the Bianconeri, which is set to be renewed 50 years to the day after the great Spaniard scored in the fixture.
That day, la Grande Inter beat the Bianconeri on their own patch to take a massive stride towards the club’s ninth Scudetto triumph, which saw the Nerazzurri overhaul cross-town rivals AC Milan in stunning circumstances. Forty-five years later, on 16 May 2010, Jose Mourinho’s Inter side repeated the feat to win the title and complete two thirds of the historic Triplete.
And here we are again: Inter v Juventus. It kicks off at San Siro on Saturday at 18:00 CET: "I’ll be at the stadium. I still feel that rivalry with Juventus. In my time they were our biggest rivals – it’s not called the derby d’Italia for nothing. Beating Juventus was a special feeling. I have great memories of those matches, especially because we almost always used to come out on top!"
You can’t talk football with Luis Suarez without mentioning the 1964 European Cup final against Real Madrid in Vienna: "It was my greatest success. We were growing and winning the final against such a great side made us realise we’d become a top team. We never got anything for free, we always had to give everything on the pitch. The joy I saw on president Angelo Moratti’s face when we lifted the cup that night is something I’ll never forget. Marvellous."
Suarez, of course, was back at San Siro with Inter Forever recently: "It was lovely to be back there for Inter v Celtic after such a long time. My bond with the Nerazzurri colours is still very strong and I’ll always have time for the club. Inter is special to me. I was 26 when I came here – I only planned to stay a year or so, but instead a truly unique relationship was born. It’s an honour to represent Inter."
There was a final word on the current situation at the club: "It’s important to win on Saturday because we can still clinch a European spot. Inter have lacked consistency this year but the team has been playing well recently and is improving all the time. Mancini knows what he’s doing and, with the support of the club, he’ll get Inter back to where it belongs."
