Spillo Altobelli and the World Cup Final: "Winning the Cup was the highest point of my career"

“The World Cup Final is unlike any other match. The night before the game against West Germany, I felt the importance of the occasion, but I was calm because I wasn't expected to start. The whole team was actually quite relaxed: we had three great wins against Argentina, Brazil and Poland after a more difficult opening group stage, so our confidence was high. I wasn't due to play, but I felt the weight of the occasion too, it's impossible not to before a World Cup Final. I was ready and had prepared extremely well. When Ciccio Graziani got injured, I was sent on after just seven minutes, and fortunately I settled into the game immediately. Graziani had already picked up the injury in the semi-final against Poland, and during the days leading up to the Final, I could see in training that he wasn't fully fit and was still in pain. That's why I stayed focused and prepared myself as best I could. When he went down injured in the Final, I felt very sorry for him, especially because he was crying in pain. In 1982 I had enjoyed a great season with Inter and we also won the Coppa Italia, but I knew I was behind Paolo Rossi and Graziani in the pecking order and rightly so. because they were both outstanding players. Despite feeling sorry for Ciccio, it was incredible to experience the satisfaction of playing in a World Cup Final. Personally, I've never been someone who was happy just to take part – I've always wanted to leave my mark and make a difference. That's why scoring the goal for 3-0 against West Germany brought me immense joy. It sealed the match, and after that goal President of the Republic Sandro Pertini famously said, "They'll never catch us now." He was right. As for Inter's record of having at least one player in every World Cup Final since 1982, the club has always had world-class players, even in seasons when it didn't win the league. That's something that continues today, with a team that wins trophies and competes at the highest level in Europe. There are so many top players, not just Italians but also some of the finest foreign talents in the game. Seeing Lautaro score against England was a huge pleasure. A couple of years ago I met him in Milan and told him he was the only one capable of catching me in second place on Inter's all-time scoring list. He's still young, he plays brilliantly, scores consistently, loves the shirt and lives Inter with real passion. I'm sure he'll overtake me because he's a goalscorer admired by everyone. I was surprised to see him start some World Cup matches on the bench because he's such a fantastic player. Even so, he always manages to make an impact, and that's not easy when you don't start. When you come on as a substitute, everyone else is already at full speed, and it's never simple to get into the rhythm straight away. Yet Lautaro always proves that being ready from the bench and reading the game is just as important as starting, exactly as happened to me in the Final against West Germany. We both won a World Cup, and I can assure you that playing in one, reaching the Final and lifting the trophy is the greatest experience a footballer can have, because not everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy that privilege during their career.”