Italian soccer legend Sandro Mazzola died at the age of 83, according to Inter Milan.
He spent his entire 17-year career with the squad and also appeared in three World Cups for Italy, which earned him a spot in the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
“Sandro Mazzola was one of the greatest footballers in history,” Inter Milan wrote in its post. “Not only in the history of the Nerazzurri. He was Inter’s history: he joined the Club as a boy and never left it.”
Mazzola, a forward, played for Inter Milan from 1961-77 and enjoyed great success with the team.
He was the son of Torino legend Valentino Mazzola, who died in the Superga air tragedy in 1949.
Inter Milan captured four Serie A titles in 1963, 1965, 1966 and 1971, two European Cups in 1964 and 1965 and two International Cups in 1964 and 1965 during his tenure.
Mazzola tied for the lead in goals with 17 during that sensational 1964-65 campaign.
He also finished second for the 1971 Ballon d’Or, which goes to the best player in Europe.
Inter Milan credits him with 565 official appearances and 161 goals.
With the national team, Mazzola competed in the 1966, 1970 and 1974 World Cups while also winning the 1968 UEFA European Championship.
The Italians enjoyed their greatest success in those three World Cups in 1970, when they lost to Brazil in the final.
After his playing career, Mazzola joined Inter Milan’s front office as the sporting director in the 1990s and also spent time as a soccer broadcaster.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced that all weekend matches will observe a minute of silence in his honor, and a funeral is set for Monday, per the Associated Press.
“The passing of Sandro Mazzola,” FIGC President Giovanni Malagò said in a statement posted to the federation’s website, “is a profound sorrow for me and for all of Italian football. A legend has passed away, one of the figures who helped make our football great throughout the world. Sandro was a symbol, a captain, a champion capable of spanning an era and becoming a collective memory.
“He is the son of Valentino, who transformed an immense surname into an equally great story, built on talent, personality, courage, and extraordinary humanity. I like to think he has finally reunited with his father and those champions with whom he shared one of the greatest moments in Italian football.”
