There was an air of nobility about Giacinto Facchetti. A tall, elegant and
imposing defender in his playing days, he rarely seemed to lose his cool.
Even in the history of a giant club like Inter his name will long be
remembered. As well as being an outstandingly talented player, Facchetti also
had the good fortune to be around at the best moment in the Nerazzurri’s
story.

Mention the 1960s now to an Inter fan and they still get all misty-eyed.
Their scoring full back was a major part of those magical times. But it
nearly didn’t happen for the boy from Treviglio. As a teenage talent he was
on the brink of a deal with Atalanta - much closer to home. In the end the
bigger club vying for his talents got its way, as usual, and a great career
as a symbol for the team from the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium had begun.

It didn’t all go smoothly to start with, but it was the legendary Helenio
Herrera who spotted how vital Facchetti could be to his team. He catapulted
the youngster into becoming a first team regular and from then on he barely
missed a game. Herrera recalled: "I could see that this big, tall player with
an eye for goal was ideal for the left full back slot."

And so it proved to be as the Inter man became something of a role model for
the modern wing-back with an outstanding scoring record. Almost 60 Serie A
goals at a time when Italian football was at its most defensive is a pretty
impressive return. Little wonder Herrera was happy to put his young star
straight into the first team.

Make no mistake, Facchetti was not just about attacking - along with Tarcisio
Burgnich, Aristide Guarneri and Armando Picchi he formed one of the most
formidable back lines ever seen in the Italian game. It was from this base
that Inter - fuelled by the funds of oil giant Angelo Moratti - went on to
conquer the world.

A first Scudetto came in just his third season at the club. And 1963 was also
the year he established himself as a first team regular. Inter then went on
to take that success to another level with triumphs across the globe. It was
the only response supporters would accept having had to watch city rivals
Milan become the first Italian team to take the European Cup.

Facchetti and his teammates responded with back-to-back European Cups and
Intercontinental Cups the following two seasons. Another two League titles in
1965 and 1966 confirmed this as the golden age of Internazionale and
Facchetti was a huge part of that. Indeed in one season he struck 10 League
goals which was the kind of return any striker of the day would have been
proud of. His consistency was of the kind that any Coach would love to build
a side around.

It was inevitable that this sort of display would push his talents into the
Italy team and after a disappointing World Cup in 1966 he enjoyed success
with the Azzurri too. Although 1970 was to end in heartache at the hands of
Brazil, in between times the boys in blue won the European Nations Cup for
the one and only time.

"It is the fondest memory of many of my teammates and myself," admitted
Facchetti years later. "For 30 years Italy had not won any title at national
level. We got to the semi-final against Russia and it finished 1-1 after
extra time and it took the toss of a coin to get us into the Final," he
recalled. "A coin is not the best way to decide things but I think it
rewarded the team who deserved to get to the Final."

That match with Yugoslavia took a replay to decide after a draw in the first
game. Eventually Italy won through thanks to goals from Riva and Anastasi. "I
think that is my best memory with the national side," said Facchetti. There
were still more fine moments to come - most notably a fourth League title in
1971 - but it was clear that the days of the great Inter team were ending.
Yet Facchetti’s career extended to the eve of the 1978 World Cup and in the
process he set a string of records.

His 476 League games for Inter were only recently surpassed by that other
great defender, Giuseppe Bergomi. And his 94 caps for his country were also a
record until Dino Zoff and, more recently, Paolo Maldini came along. But it
is as Italian captain that his record is still without equal. He led his
country on no fewer than 70 occasions, which is a remarkable testimony to his
quality and leadership ability.

Facchetti became an important symbol for both club and country. In many ways
he changed the way the world thought about defenders with the attacking
strength he brought to the game. His dynamic forward runs paved the way for
the pressing game of the future. His late career switch to sweeper also
cleared a path for other greats like Gaetano Scirea and Franco Baresi who
followed in Il Capitano’s footsteps.

These skills were clearly something that a club like Inter were loathe to
ignore when he retired from the game. He has carved out a role for himself in
the new Millennium as a right hand man for new President Massimo Moratti. His
coolness in a crisis has obviously come in useful in recent times.

Nowadays Facchetti occupies an important overseas role for the club keeping
an eye out for players who might make as big an impact as he did. His most
recent mission was to try to secure the services of Daniel Passarella as next
Inter Coach. Although the signs do not look encouraging nobody should bet
against Giacinto Facchetti. He generally won most of his battles on the field
of play and those combative qualities still stand him in good stead today.

STAR RATING 9/10 Giacinto Facchetti was once the most capped outfield player
in Italy’s history and the epitome of its footballing style. A tall, elegant
and imposing defender, Facchetti was a key member of the great Inter side
that won four Serie A titles plus the European and World Club Cups in 1964
and 1965.

Giacinto Facchetti
Club: Inter
Born: Treviglio (Bergamo), 18/7/42
Position: Defender
Serie A debut: Roma 0-2 Inter, 21/5/61
Club: Inter
International debut: Turkey 0-1 Italy (Istanbul), 27/3/63
Last International game: England 2-0 Italy (Wembley), 16/11/77
International caps: 94
International gls: 3

Honours:
4 Scudetto (1963, 65, 66, 71)
2 European Cups (1964, 65)
2 World Club Cup (1964, 65)
1 Coppa Italia (1978)
1 European Nations Cup (1968)
World Cup runners-up (1970)
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