2009–10 Inter Milan season

The 2009–10 season was Inter Milan's 101st in existence and 94th consecutive season in the top flight of Italian football. This was manager José Mourinho's second and final season with the club, before his departure to Real Madrid.

Inter had the greatest season in its history, winning Serie A for the fifth consecutive season on the final matchday, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 45 years, completing a historic treble. Inter became the sixth European club to complete a treble, and the first and only Italian club to achieve this feat to date.^[1]

The main transfer move was an exchange with Barcelona, as Zlatan Ibrahimović and Samuel Eto'o swapped clubs.^[2] From a tactical point of view, the line-up was not made up from this fact: Eto'o was himself a centre-forward.^[3] His partner was Diego Milito, acquired from Genoa, like the midfielder Thiago Motta.^[4] There were also the arrivals of the centre-back Lúcio and the playmaker Wesley Sneijder.^[5] Inter unveiled the season losing the Supercoppa Italiana, due to a 2–1 knockout against Lazio.^[6]

During the brief pause in September, Inter had four points in the league, which became 16 before the October pause.^[7][8] Meanwhile, the side had started its European adventure, from the group phase, drawing in the first part of the stage:^[9] it was renamed the "group of death" due to the presences of only national champions, from Spain (Barcelona, who was the European defending champion), Ukraine (Dynamo Kyiv) and Russia (Rubin Kazan).^[9] Inter retained the Serie A title without any obstacles,^[10] and managed to recover their form in the Champions League, finishing the group in second place behind Barcelona.^[11] In the round of 16, they defeated Chelsea (the club that José Mourinho coached from 2004 to 2007) via a 3–1 aggregate; in the quarter-finals, CSKA Moscow were beaten 1–0 in both legs.^[12] The last obstacle toward the final was, once again, Barcelona. Four days before the first leg, Inter beat Juventus 2–0. The Spanish side lost the first leg, despite having scored the first goal (with Pedro): the final score was 3–1,^[13] enough for Inter to progress to the final, despite a 1–0 loss in the second leg, and down to ten men, with a red card to Thiago Motta.^[14][15] As a result, Inter qualified for their first UEFA final in twelve years, since the 1998 UEFA Cup.^[15]

Prior to the final, Mourinho won an additional two trophies: the Coppa Italia and the second consecutive Scudetto, both won due to Milito's goals and leaving Roma behind.^[16] Milito was also Man of the Match for Champions League final, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory, whereby Inter defeated Bayern Munich, winning this trophy for the first time since 1965, and for the third time overall.^[17] In doing so, Inter became the first Italian club to achieve the Treble.

As of 1 February 2010^[18]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Confirmed transfers 2009–10

Total spending: €89.05 million

Last updated: 2 February

Total income: €97 million

Last updated: 10 January
Source:
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position; Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on the name); Cap: Cap = Captain, VC = Vice-captain; Since = the year the player start be a permanent part of the squad; App and = Only competitive appearances and goals. See source for more detail; Ends = when the player's current contract ends.