2) Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez the Spanish Playmaker was one of the most important signings in the history of Internazionale FC. He was bought from Barcelona in 1961 for 250 million Italian Lire (£142,000) which was a world record fee at the time and had already won the Ballon D’Or the year before. The move saw him follow his mentor Helenio Herrera who became the coach of the Italian club after leaving Barcelona.
When he arrived in Milan from Barcelona he was already a well established inside forward who was known for his dribbling skills and excellent ball control but it was at Inter that he truly lived up to his potential as a deep lying playmaker in the great La Grande Inter team of the 1960s that won 3 consecutive Serie A titles, two intercontinental cups and two European cups. According to experts, the great La Grande Inter team would never have been formed if it were not for Luis Suarez.
The Spaniard made over 325 appearances for the Nerazzurri scoring 55 goals in the process. During his years at Inter, he was at the peak of his powers winning the European Championships for Spain as well as winning the silver ball in 1961 and 1964 and the bronze ball in 1965. Put simply, there were very few players who had the type of impact on the Italian club like Suarez did when he arrived from Catalunya.
His performance in the 1963 final against a Real Madrid side which had reached 7 of the previous 9 European finals was nothing short of genius helping the Italian club win 3-1. His arrival changed the fortunes of the Italian club and since then it has been counted as one of the superclubs in Europe.
Despite many of the Inter fans never being able to see him play, his achievements and impact on the club have definitely confirmed him as a club legend and one of Inter’s most important signings of all time.
