Happy birthday, Giacinto

MILAN – You're still here with us. Like the very first day you pulled on a Nerazzurri jersey all those years ago, in 1961, and every day ever since. Almost 11 years have passed since that sad day on 4 September, but your memory and your example remain vividly in the hearts and minds of every Inter fan.

Today, the day you would have turned 75, is as good as any other to try to put into words what you mean to this club.

We could mention the trophies you won with Inter (four Scudetti, two European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and a Coppa Italia), your 634 appearances and 75 goals, the armband and that magnificent No.3 shirt you wore, your 94 Italy caps, the European Championship you won in 1968 and that unforgettable 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the many years you spent working with so much passion for Inter and the fans, defending and supporting the club through good times and bad.

Yet none of that conveys your moral stature, your elegance, your loyalty, your kindness and your humanity – all of which make you a role model difficult for anyone to live up to, but all the more edifying precisely for that reason. A role model which stands firm, constant and unshakeable.

Happy birthday, Giacinto. You're still here with us.