atalasport label, stitched gilt bullion star over the Scudetto, and number 6 verso, short sleeved

Note: For many years this jersey was thought to be Armando Picchi’s, swapped with him following the 1967 European Cup Final in Lisbon. However, recent thinking is that the jersey was not worn by Picchi during that European Cup campaign.

The Bertie Auld Collection.

Armando Picchi remains a legendary figure within the history of Internazionale.

He began his playing career with A.S. Livorno in 1954, before signing for S.P.A.L. in 1959, followed by Inter in 1960.

A defensive rock, he was originally deployed as a right back, before incoming coach Helenio Herrera moved him to the libero (or sweeper) position. His strength and leadership would prove pivotal to the team’s success and, following the exit of captain Bruno Bolchi, Picchi would assume the armband.

Throughout his time at the club (1960-67), he was lauded as one of Italy’s finest defenders. His tactical intelligence and versatility were instrumental to Herrera’s catenaccio system, one that placed a solid back four at the heart of the team. Due to this overt emphasis on defence, the system was not without its critics. This said, it is very difficult to argue with the great success it brought Herrera’s men.

Indeed, this was a side and era still fondly referred to as La Grande Inter. A period during which they would win three Scudetti, two European Cups and two Inter-Continental Cups.

It was during Picchi’s final season they would reach their third European Cup final.

The team experienced no major issues enroute, seeing off Torpedo Moscow, Vasas S.C., Real Madrid, and C.S.K.A. Red Flag, conceding only three goals over the eight games.

They entered the final as clear favourites, a side who had already lifted Europe’s ultimate prize twice in the past four years. A team with pedigree.

This said, Herrera and Picchi knew Jock Stein’s Celtic would be no straightforward task, their Glaswegian counterparts traveling to Lisbon fresh off the back of a domestic treble. Certainly, if Grande Inter were a team characterised by their solid defence, Celtic could be viewed as their antithesis. Stein’s side had established themselves by playing ‘pure, beautiful, inventive football,’ scoring sixteen times enroute to their first European final.

What went on to happen on the 25^th May 1967 will forever live on in the annals of sporting history.

Picchi and McNeill led their respective teams out onto the park in the searing heat of Lisbon. A penalty was converted by Sandro Mazzola within the first ten minutes, separating the sides at half-time.

After the break, the Bhoys emerged from the tunnel knowing the biggest forty-five minutes of their careers were required if they were to break down the catenaccio of Picchi’s back four. What happened next is perhaps best summarised by the famous lyrics of the Willie Maley song:

‘Celtic went out to attack,
They won The Big Cup and they brought it back, it was the first time it had been on British shores…’

Goals from Gemmell and Chalmers not only secured Celtic’s greatest ever triumph, but helped bring about the end of Herrera’s Grande Inter. Indeed, within months Picchi would leave the club for Varese, where he would play out the remainder of his career.

Upon retiring, the legendary captain went on to manage Varese, before taking over at Livorno and then Juventus. It was during his first year with the latter that he was sadly diagnosed with cancer, ultimately passing away in 1971 at the young age of 35.

The importance of Picchi and his legacy continue to be remembered, with him being inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2021.