MILAN – It took him little more than 10 minutes to win over the Inter fans. It was 31 August 1997 when Inter hosted Brescia for the opening game of the season. 70,000 people crammed into the Meazza to see Ronaldo's debut in an Inter shirt but it was another newcomer who stole the show: Alvaro Recoba.
El Chino made his Nerazzurri bow when he replaced Maurizio Ganz in the 71st minute. The teams were locked in a 0-0 stalemate at that point but just two minutes after Recoba made his entrance, Dario Hubner fired home on the spin to give the visitors the lead. Silence echoed around the stands at San Siro.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Up stepped the 21-year-old Uruguayan and with 80 minutes on the clock he blasted a 25-yard rocket into the top corner to level the scores. Five minutes later he completed the turnaround by clipping a 30-yard free kick into the opposite top corner.
Two absolute peaches to introduce himself to Italian football. They were the first of many.
We could cite his lob from the halfway line against Empoli (25 January 1998) or his deft control and sombrero against Lecce (21 November 1999) to name but two, not to mention his countless strikes from free kicks and even the corner flag.
After 261 games and 72 goals for Inter, he returned to his homeland where he continued to dazzle football lovers with his extraordinary talent.
Now, having hung up his boots, the 40-year-old Recoba is set for his farewell match in Montevideo tomorrow, 31 March 2016.
Javier Zanetti and Francesco Toldo will be there to attend this celebration of an incredible player on behalf of Inter Forever and convey the best wishes of F.C. Internazionale and the Nerazzurri fans.
There will also be a video message from Massimo Moratti, the president who signed El Chino for Inter nearly two decades ago.
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