In the 54-year-old history of the European Champions Cup, now the Uefa Champions League, only twice has the final been contested between an Italian and a German club. In both the 1983 and 1997 finals, the German clubs SV Hamburg and Borussia Dortmund were victorious beating Juventus (Italy) 1-0 and 3-1, respectively. So will
Internazionale (Inter) Milan buck the trend and make it third time lucky for the Italian clubs in the 2010 Champions League final on May 22 or will Bayern Munich continue the domination of German clubs.
A tactical final is expected as both teams are on the threshold of history. Both have won the League and Cup double in their country and are on the verge of a historic triple crown, by winning the Champions League. Jose Mourinho, likely to leave Inter Milan and join ultra-rich Real Madrid next season would like to depart in a blaze of glory.
In Internazionale’s history, 55 coaches have coached the club. The first manager was Virgilio Fossati and the current manager is Jose Mourinho, who was appointed on June 2, 2008. Helenio Herrera had the longest reign as Internazionale coach, nine years (eight consecutive) in charge. He is also the most successful with three Scudetto (Italian league titles), two European Cups, and two Intercontinental Cup wins.
Winning the Uefa Champions League has become a holy grail for Inter Milan’s owners and supporters. They won back to back European Cups in 1964 and 1965 but since then have reached the final just twice losing 1-2 to Celtic (1967) and 0-2 to Ajax Amsterdam (1972). So it will be Inter’s fifth European Cup final and first of the new millennium.
Bayern are a membership-based club with more than 152,000 members. There are also more than 2,500 officially-registered fan clubs with about 181,700 members. In recent years they have been the most successful team in German football, winning seven of the last ten championships. The club’s last international title was the Intercontinental Cup in 2001. Bayern were the fourth richest club in the world in 2009, generating revenues worth Euros 289.5 million.
Bayern have an impressive European Cup legacy, champions from 1974-76 and again in 2001. Thrice they lost in the final, 0-1 to Aston Villa (1982), 1-2 to FC Porto (1987) and 1-2 via the golden goal to Manchester United (1999). So this is their eighth European Cup final.
The final will be a true reflection of the globalisation of football, as the Dutch players will be vital for both teams. Wesley Snjeider (Inter Milan) and dazzling dribbler Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), will provide both creativity and flair. They are the best of friends who share a room when playing for Holland. Both these recent Real Madrid discards will be highly motivated.
Much will also depend on how Inter Milan’s Brazilian defender Lucio, bought from Bayern Munich this season, can curb Bayern’s rampaging attack, which however will miss the suspended Frank Ribery.
Considering the long-standing Dutch-German rivalry in football, it is the ultimate irony that if Bayern win a Dutch captain (Mark van Bommel) and Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal will lift the trophy. Midfielder Van Bommel is the first non-German captain of Bayern Munich.