Champions League What Happened After?: Inter Milan 2009-10

 INTER MILAN'S 2009-10 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNING SQUAD: WHAT HAPPENED AFTER?

22nd May 2010: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain

Bayern Munich 0-2 Inter Milan

Inter Milan defied all the odds as they remarkably managed to overcome huge heavyweights, including a formidable Bayern Munich in the final in Madrid. Jose Mourinho once again worked his magic in the Champions League, winning the title with a team that surpassed all the odds. This win in Madrid completed a historic treble for Inter after they won the Serie A and Coppa Italia that season. So, what happened after to this incredible side by Jose Mourinho who led them to their first Champions League title since 1965?

1) Francesco Toldo (#1)

Toldo was the reserve keeper for Inter in the final and was on the bench with Julio Cesar taking his place in the starting 11. Immediately after the final, Toldo retired from football, ending his career with a historic treble. Toldo was part of the EURO 2000 squad with Italy, where he was their starting keeper for the games in the Netherlands and Belgium. He finished as a runner-up, falling short to France in the final in Rotterdam. Toldo is currently an ambassador for Inter Milan. 

2) Ivan Cordoba (#2)

Cordoba started the final on the bench and didn't come off the bench in the final in Madrid. The Colombian defender then spent another 2 years with the Italian side, winning the Coppa Italia the following season and the FIFA Club World Cup in his penultimate season with the club. In 2012, Cordoba announced he would be leaving Inter, and later retired from the game. Cordoba is also one of the greatest ever defenders for the Colombian national team. Cordoba has made 73 caps for Colombia and scored five goals. Cordoba was the captain for Colombia when they won their first ever Copa America in 2001, scoring the winner in the final against Mexico. Cordoba is currently the sporting director for Serie A club, Venezia. 

3) Javier Zanetti (#4)

Zanetti played an instrumental part in Inter Milan's European success and their treble season, solidifying his legacy in the Inter Milan history books. He started the final in Madrid and captained the side to a comfortable 2-0 win. After the final, Zanetti continued his tenure as captain for Inter Milan for another four years. During this time, his final honors for the club were won in the season after Milan's Champions League victory, including the Coppa Italia, and the FIFA Club World Cup. In 2014, Zanetti left the club after 19 years since joining from Banfield in Argentina. He eventually retired soon after. Zanetti was a prominent figure for Argentina but never won a major honor for the Albiceleste, finishing as a runner-up in every major competition he appeared in. He finished second in the 2004 and 2007 Copa America and the 1995 and 2005 Confederations Cup. He also won silver at the 1996 Olympic Games for Argentina. Zanetti stayed loyal to Inter Milan and currently serves as the club's vice president. 

4) Dejan Stankovic (#5)

Stankovic started the final on the bench for the Nerazzuri and came on in the 68th minute for Cristian Chivu. The Serbian defender spent another three years with Inter, winning the Coppa Italia, and Club World Cup the season after Milan's European triumph. During the 2010-11 season, Stankovic scored one of the greatest Champions League goals in history, scoring a volley from the halfway line in a quarter-final encounter against Schalke. In 2013, Stankovic hung up his boots and retired from the game. Stankovic was one of the most renowned international footballers, having been the only footballer in the World Cup with three different nations. He played with Yugoslavia in 1998, Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, and Serbia in 2010. Stankovic played a total of 103 matches with the three different national teams, retiring from the national team in 2013. After managerial jobs in Serbia, Italy, and Hungary, Stankovic eventually settled in Russia, as he currently manages Spartak Moscow.

5) Lucio (#6)

Lucio started the final in Madrid and played the full 90 minutes in the Santiago Bernabeu. After two more seasons with the Nerazurri, Lucio surprised everyone in Italy and made a transfer to one of Inter's biggest rivals, Juventus. However, his spell with Juve was brief and he was sold to Sao Paolo a year later. After another seven years in Brazil, including a brief spell in India with FC Goa, Lucio retired from football in 2020. Lucio has made over 100 appearances for Brazil, winning the World Cup in 2002, including two Confederations Cup titles in 2005 and 2009. Lucio then retired from the national team in 2011, after a disappointing Copa America run in Argentina. Lucio is currently a charity organizer, having been involved in many charitable organizations in Brazil. 

6) Samuel Eto'o (#9)

Eto'o started the final for Inter and played the full 90 minutes in Madrid. The Cameroonian legend made history by becoming the first-ever player to win back-to-back continental trebles, having won the treble with Barcelona the previous season. Eto'o also became the fourth player to win the Champions League twice in a row with different clubs, following in the footsteps of Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Gerard Pique. After another season with the Nerazurri, Eto'o spent brief spells with Anzhi Makhachkala, Chelsea, Everton, and Sampdoria, before eventually regaining his form with Antalyaspor. After spells in Konyaspor and Qatar SC, Eto'o retired from football in 2019. Eto'o is also the best Cameroonian football player of his generation, being the all-time top scorer of the country with a staggering 58 goals. Eto'o won gold for Cameroon at the 2000 Olympics and 2 AFCON titles with his country, solidifying his status as Cameroon's greatest player. Eto'o is currently the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation.

7) Wesley Sneijder (#10)

Sneijder is one of the greatest Dutch players in history, and 2010 was widely believed to be his peak year. He started the final in Madrid and assisted Diego Milito with his first goal. After the final, Sneijder stayed another three years with the Nerazurri, winning the Coppa Italia, and the FIFA Club World Cup, in the season following Inter Milan's success in Europe. Midway through the 2010-11 season, Sneijder was at the top of his game and finished 4th in the 2010 Ballon D'or rankings, falling short to Barcelona's Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Lionel Messi. In January 2013, after many injuries, Sneijder left the Nerazurri and joined Turkish giants, Galatasaray. In his four seasons in the club, Sneijder played with Didier Drogba, Fernando Muslera, and Turkish superstars, Selcuk Inan and Burak Yilmaz. He also won two Super Lig, three Turkish Cups, and three Super Cups. Sneijder left the club in 2017 and after a brief spell with Nice in France, and Al Ghafrah in Qatar, Sneijder retired in 2019. Sneijder is also one of the greatest players for the Netherlands national team, being their highest appearance maker with 134 caps for the Dutch. He was their star player at the 2010 World Cup, finishing as a runner-up, and winning 3rd place in the 2014 World Cup. He also represented the Dutch at three European Championships. Sneijder retired from the national team in March 2018, as their top appearance maker. He currently works with Utretch.

8) Sulley Muntari (#11)

Muntari started the final on the bench for the Nerazurri and came on in the 79th minute for Goran Pandev. He became only the fourth Ghanaian player to win the Champions League, after Abedi Pele, Ibrahim Tanko, and Samuel Kuffour.  He only spent another half-season with Inter, before joining Sunderland for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. In the 2011-12 season, he joined Inter's biggest rivals, AC Milan on loan. The loan deal was made permanent and Muntari stayed with Milan. After three more seasons with the Rossinerri, Muntari had brief spells in Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and Ghana before retiring in 2022. Muntari has made 84 appearances for the Black Stars and scored 20 goals during his tenure in a Ghana shirt. Muntari has appeared in 1 African Cup of Nations and 3 World Cups, scoring most notably in Ghana's 1-1 draw against Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals. Muntari is currently enjoying retirement in Ghana. 

9) Julio Cesar (#12)

Cesar started the final between the sticks for Inter and had a great 90 minutes, keeping a clean sheet for the Nerazurri. Since then, Cesar enjoyed another two years with Inter, winning the Club World Cup and Coppa Italia in his penultimate season with the club. In 2012, Cesar said goodbye to Inter and joined Premier League side, Queens Park Rangers. He spent a year and a half with the Rangers while also spending half a season on loan at Toronto FC. After success with Benfica for three seasons, winning tons of domestic trophies, Cesar returned to Flamengo after 13 years in Europe. In April 2018, Cesar retired from football, playing his final game for the club. Cesar has appeared in 3 World Cups and 2 Copa America, winning the 2004 Copa America in Peru, while winning 2 Confederations Cup titles in 2009 and 2013. Cesar currently spends retirement in Brazil.

10) Maicon (#13)

Maicon started the final as a right-back and played the full 90 minutes in Madrid. Maicon spent another two years in Milan, before having a brief spell with Manchester City in England, playing just nine league matches in an injury-ridden season. In 2013, Maicon returned to Serie A to play with AS Roma. After three seasons with the club, Maicon spent brief spells across Brazil and San Marino before retiring in 2023. Maicon has represented Brazil between 2003 and 2014, winning the Copa America in 2004 and 2007 and the Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009. Maicon left the national team after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

11) McDonald Mariga (#17)

Mariga, despite not coming on in the final, made history by becoming the first Kenyan player to win the Champions League, 2 months after achieving the feat of becoming Kenya's first player to make a Champions League appearance. Mariga's stay with the Nerazurri wouldn't live long in the memory, as his remainder in Inter would include loan spells with Real Sociedad and Parma. Mariga permanently left Inter in 2014 and joined Parma. After brief spells in Italy and Spain, Mariga retired in 2018. Mariga made 40 appearances and scored 5 goals during his time with the Kenyan team, before retiring from the national team in 2018. 

12) Esteban Cambiasso (#19)

Cambiasso played a very prominent part in Inter's road to success. As a result, he started the final in Madrid and played the full 90 minutes in the Santiago Bernabeu. After another four years with Inter, Cambiasso left the Nerazurri, 10 years after joining Inter from Real Madrid. In 2014, Cambiasso joined newly promoted, Leicester City in the Premier League. The Argentine appeared in 31 out of 38 Premier League games and scored 5 goals for the club. After one season, Cambiasso left and joined Olympiacos, and enjoyed domestic success with the Greek side. Cambiasso retired in in 2017. Cambiasso has appeared for Argentina, in four major tournaments, including one World Cup and two Copa America, recording 52 caps for La Albiceleste. 

13) Diego Milito (#22)

Milito was Inter's hero in Madrid as he scored both goals in the final to win them their first Champions League since 1965. Milito spent another four years with Inter, before leaving the club in 2014, and rejoining boyhood club, Racing Club. After 72 appearances and 22 goals, Milito retired from football in 2016. Milito made 25 appearances for Argentina while scoring 4 goals for the Albicelste, and was part of their 2007 Copa America squad which finished runners-up in Venezuela. Milito currently spends retirement in Argentina. 

14) Marco Materazzi (#23)

Materazzi is well known for being the victim of the infamous headbutt of Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup. Materazzi spent most of the match on the bench and only came on the 92nd minute for Jose Mourinho's side when it didn't matter anymore. Materazzi spent another season with the Nerazurri, winning the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup before leaving the club. Without a club for three years, Materazzi then joined Indian Super League side, Chennaiyan as a player-manager. He won the Indian Super League in 2015 as player-manager but his managerial career ended in 2016. Materazzi currently spends retirement in Italy. Materazzi has also appeared in 2 World Cups and 2 European Championships, winning most notably the 2006 World Cup, where he scored in the final against France and was head butted by Zidane, resulting in the Frenchmen being sent off. 

15) Walter Samuel (#25)

Samuel was arguably one of Inter's best defenders of the 2009-10 season, and proved his worthiness to the team. He started the final in Madrid and played the full match, keeping a clean sheet. Samuel spent another four seasons with Inter, winning the Coppa Italia, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. Samuel left Inter in 2014, and joined Swiss giants, Basel. Within his two year stint with the club, he won two Swiss league titles before eventually retiring in 2016. Samuel was part of the Argentinian national team for 11 years, playing in two World Cups, one Copa America, and one Confederations Cup, finishing a runner-up in the latter. Samuel currently works as the assistant manager for the Argentinian national team, guiding them to 2 Copa America wins, one Finalissima, and one World Cup title. He's been at the job since 2018 and still works for them to this day. 

16) Christian Chivu (#26)

Chivu started the match as a left back and played up to the 68th minute where he was then withdrawn for Dejan Stanković. Chivu spent the rest of his career with Inter, winning the Coppa Italia, Super Cup and Club World Cup before eventually retiring in 2014. Chivu appeared in two UEFA European Championships for Romania in 2000 and 2008, making 75 international appearances between 1999 and 2010, Chivu currently works as a pundit for Italian Sky Sports and is a technical observer for UEFA. 

17) Goran Pandev (#27)

Pandev joined a very elite club when Inter become victorious in Madrid, becoming only the third ever player from North Macedonia to win the European Cup/Champions League. He started the final in Madrid and played a fair amount of the game. Pandev spent another season with Inter, winning the Coppa Italia, Super Cup and Club World Cup, before spending the 2011-12 season on loan with Napoli. He impressed during his loan stint in Naples, winning the Coppa Italia before joining them permanently. His permanent stint for Napoli wasn't great, as he made only four domestic appearances, while winning another Coppa Italia in 2014. After stints with Galatasaray, Genoa, and Parma, Pandev retired at the end of the 2021/22 season. Pandev was North Macedonia's highest appearance maker and goalscorer and lead his national team to their first major tournament in 2021, at EURO 2020, scoring the team's first goal in a major tournament. 

18) Mario Balotelli (#45)

In 2010, Balotelli was an exciting prospect who looked to be the future of Italian football, but his poor attitude on and off the pitch left him unable to reach his full potential. He was an unused substitute for the final in Madrid. His performances earned himself a move to Manchester City, and was pivotal for the team. He helped win the team their first trophy in 35 years, winning the FA Cup in 2011. The following season, he assisted Sergio Aguero who scored the goal that secured Man City's first league title in 44 years. He returned to Milan in January 2013, to play for Inter's city rivals, AC Milan, where a rejuvenation in his career lead to a move to Liverpool. However, things didn't work out for the Italian in Merseyside, leading to a return to Milan on loan. After leaving Liverpool permanently in 2016, Balotelli had spells in France with Nice and Marseille, Switzerland with Sion, and Turkey with Adana Demirspor, while spending spells in between in Italy with Monza and Brescia, he returned to Italy ahead of the 2024-25 season, and currently plays for Genoa. Balotelli made over 30 caps for Italy, appearing in EURO 2012, the Confederations Cup in 2013, and the World Cup in 2014, scoring in all of them, while finishing as a runner up in the former. 

19) José Mourinho (Manager)

Mourinho proved once again why he's worthy for the title of 'The Special One', as he worked his magic with an underdog team once again, in the Champions League. Having previously won it with Porto in 2004, Mourinho won his second title in the Champions League, in just his second season with Inter. Prior the final in Madrid, Mourinho's mastermind earned his a move to Real Madrid, and over his three years in the club, he won them 1 La Liga title, 1 Copa del Rey, and 1 Supercopa de España, before announcing he would leave the club at the end of the 2012-13 season. Just days after announcing his departure from Real, Mourinho returned to Chelsea, and after a trophy-less 2013-14 season, Mourinho guided Chelsea to League Cup and Premier League titles, before being sacked in November 2015. He then joined Manchester United at the start of the 2016-17 season, and won them the League Cup and the Europa League, winning his first UEFA Cup title since 2003, while maintaining his 100% record in UEFA finals. After finishing a runner-up in the Premier League and FA Cup, Mourinho was sacked from the club in December 2018. Almost a year later, Mourinho returned to managing to manage Tottenham Hotspurs, in what would be his third English club, until his sacking in April 2021. He guided Tottenham to their first League Cup final since 2015, where his Chelsea side defeated them 2-0. Just days before the final, he was sacked. He then returned to Italy, this time for AS Roma, where he won his fifth European title, which was the inaugural competition of the UEFA Europa Conference League, becoming the first manager to win all 3 European titles. He lost his 100% record in UEFA finals when Roma lost the 2022-23 Europa League final to Sevilla. He was sacked in January 2024 over poor results but returned to managing to manage Turkish side, Fenerbache, in his first stint in Turkey. He still manages the Turkish giants to this day. 

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