THE ORIGINS

1925–1926

It all began with an idea from Piero Pirelli, then president of Milan: to give the team its very own ground, designed in the English-style, without an athletics track. The foundation stone was laid on 1 August 1925, on a plot of land next to the racecourse. The project was designed by engineer Alberto Cugini and architect Ulisse Stacchini — the same architect who designed Milano Central Station. Construction progressed rapidly: 120 workers, 13 months of work. On 15 September 1926, the keys to the stadium were handed over to the director, Anteo Carapezzi, who chose the name San Siro in honour of a small church in the neighbourhood.

THE OPENING CEREMONY

19 SEPTEMBER 1926

In the presence of the Duke of Bergamo, Inter and Milan took to the pitch for the first match in San Siro’s history. The Nerazzurri won the derby 6–3. The very first goal ever scored at San Siro was netted by Milan’s Giuseppe Santagostino, whilst Inter’s first goal was scored by Antonio Powolny.

MILAN-INTER 3-6
Goals: 11’ Santagostino, 15’ Powolny, 24’ Bernardini, 35’ Cevenini III, 36’ and 56’ A. Castellazzi, 62’ Conti, 78’ Savelli, 89’ Ostromann II

Milan: Carmignato, Barzan, Schienoni, De Franceschini I, Hajos, Pomi (Marchi), Ballarin (Radice), Santagostino, Ostromann II, Savelli, Pasqualetto.
Manager: Burgess .

Inter: Zamberletti , D. Bellini, Gianfardoni, Pietroboni, Giustacchini, Agradi, Conti, Cevenini III, Bernardini, Powolny, A. Castellazzi.
Manager: Weisz .

The following day, 20 September 1926, another match was played at San Siro: a team comprising eight Inter players and three from Milan took on D.F.C. Prague, winning by a clear margin.

THE WORLD CUP

1934

In 1934, San Siro hosted World Cup matches for the first time. The Milanese stadium was the venue for three matches, including the semi-final won by Italy against Austria, decided by a goal from Guaita.

The Azzurri went on to be crowned world champions by beating Czechoslovakia in the final. The other matches played at San Siro were the round of 16 tie between Switzerland and the Netherlands and the quarter-final between Germany and Sweden.

The match between Italy and Austria was a sell-out.
Match takings: 811,526 lire

THE EXTENSION WORKS

1937–1939

By a resolution dated 10 September 1937, Milano City Council purchased the stadium and set about completing it. The work was entrusted to the Municipal Technical Office, under the supervision of engineer Giuseppe Bertera and architect Mario Perlasca: the aim was to construct a single ring of stands, all of the same height, forming a continuous loop around the pitch with no further breaks between the sections. Work proceeded at a rapid pace — 1,018 workers, round the clock — and was completed in 1939: the capacity rose to 55,000 spectators. On 13 May 1939, the refurbished stadium hosted its first match, a friendly between Italy and England.

INTER AT SAN SIRO

THE 1940s

President Pozzani wanted to celebrate the club’s fifth Scudetto, won in the 1939/40 season, in front of as many supporters as possible: Inter v Bologna, the final league match, was played at San Siro on 2 June 1940. From that point onwards, the Nerazzurri played a number of high-profile matches at the stadium until the 1947/48 season, the first in which Inter moved permanently to San Siro.

THE SECOND RING

1954–1955

In 1954, San Siro underwent another major transformation with the construction of the second tier: a project designed to significantly alter its appearance and dimensions. The project was entrusted to engineer Ferruccio Calzolari and architect Armando Ronca, who worked on the construction of a new structure superimposed on the first tier, consisting of 29 rows of steps.

The works took around 500 days to complete and were finished in 1955, with a total investment of 750 million lire. The extension enabled San Siro to significantly increase its capacity, bringing it to 100,000 spectators: 60,000 in the first tier and 40,000 in the new second tier. An extraordinary figure for the time, making the Milanese stadium one of the largest and most impressive sports venues in Europe.

For safety reasons, the capacity will subsequently be set at 85,000 spectators, but the new layout marks a turning point in the history of San Siro. The second tier expands the stands and brings the stadium even closer to its status as a great theatre of football, making it one of the symbols of the city of Milano.

Added to this, two years later, was the floodlighting system, inaugurated in 1957: two hundred floodlights, each equipping with 1,500-watt incandescent bulbs, mounted on 13-metre-high masts, to open the stadium’s doors to evening matches on European nights.

INTER, EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS, AT SAN SIRO

27 May 1965

A year after Vienna’s Prater, the venue for Inter’s first European title, the Nerazzurri were back in the European Cup final. The final was to be played in Milano, with San Siro chosen for the first time to host the final of Europe’s premier competition: one of the moments when the Milanese stadium definitively established itself as one of the greatest and most iconic in the world of football. Herrera’s Inter were crowned European champions for the second time, beating Benfica 1–0 thanks to a goal from Jair in torrential rain at San Siro, thereby winning their second consecutive European Cup.

THE NAMING IN HONOUR OF GIUSEPPE MEAZZA

2 March 1980

On 2 March 1980, the San Siro stadium was named after Giuseppe Meazza, who had passed away the previous year. A tribute to one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, a star for both Inter and the national team, and a two-time World Cup winner with the Azzurri. Born in Milano in 1910, Meazza had inextricably linked his name to the stadium, which had become his footballing home over the years. The match chosen to inaugurate the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium was the Milano derby between Milan and Inter on 2 March 1980, which ended 0–1 in favour of the Nerazzurri thanks to a goal from Oriali.

THE THIRD RING

1987–1990

In the run-up to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, San Siro underwent further renovation, gradually taking on the appearance we recognise today: between 1987 and 1990, the third tier was built, completing the stadium’s three-tiered structure. The project, designed by architects Giancarlo Ragazzi and Enrico Hoffer in collaboration with engineer Leo Finzi, increased the capacity to over 85,000 spectators and gave the Meazza a new, imposing appearance. Inter won the ‘Scudetto dei Record’ in 1989 whilst the stadium was still under construction, providing particularly striking images with the building site serving as a backdrop to the Nerazzurri’s celebrations.

THE 1990 WORLD CUP IN ITALY

1990

A few months later, the stadium was one of the main venues for the World Cup. San Siro hosted the opening ceremony and the opening match between Argentina and Cameroon, as well as four group stage matches and the round of 16. It was the first major international event at the refurbished Meazza, destined to become one of the symbols of Italia ’90. It was the World Cup won by the German Inter players Matthäus, Klinsmann and Brehme. The goals in the round of 16 against the Netherlands – scored by Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard – right beneath the Curva Nord were truly historic.

THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALS

2001–2016

In the new millennium, San Siro hosted the Champions League final on two occasions, maintaining its status as an iconic stadium of international standing and the ideal venue for the most prestigious events in world football. Thirty-one years after the final between Feyenoord and Celtic, the final of Europe’s premier competition returned to San Siro in 2001. The match between Valencia and Bayern Munich was won by the Germans, whilst in 2016 the final featured the Madrid derby between Atlético and Real, with the Blancos emerging as champions . Both matches were decided on penalties.

THE NERAZZURRI SUNRISE AT SAN SIRO

2010

The sweetest dawn, the one we’d been waiting for the longest. When Webb blew the final whistle at the Bernabéu on the evening of 22 May 2010, he tied a Nerazzurri thread stretching from Madrid to Milano, filled with boundless joy. The joy of the Inter fans present in Spain, that of the thousands who filled Piazza del Duomo, and that of the team, which, after the celebrations on the Bernabéu pitch, was ready to return to Italy.

“They’re bringing us the Cup.” Dreamed of for years, still just a few hours away: from the Duomo to San Siro, a festive procession filling the stadium stands at night, whilst awaiting the flight from Madrid to Malpensa. Everyone dressed up for the occasion, as if for the most important match, with giant screens displaying triumphant images, music and chants, and the floodlights blazing. A few weary eyes, until the announcement came, around 4 am: the team had left Madrid. As Marco Materazzi told us, the delay was also caused by Goran Pandev’s ‘slowness’ during the post-match anti-doping procedure.

The flight from Madrid to Milano, with the Champions League in the air, was one of the most joyful moments of the players’ careers. And at San Siro, an eager crowd gathered to await their triumphant arrival at around 6 am.

From Zanetti to Milito, all the key figures behind the Treble emphasised that never before in their careers had they seen a stadium so full and jubilant, open at dawn. As the first rays of light appeared, with the black of night giving way to the blue of the clear sky on 23 May, they took to the pitch: Javier Zanetti and Angelomario Moratti, son of the then-chairman Massimo, to symbolically present the Champions League trophy to the entire Nerazzurri faithful.

Inter madness, photos, fireworks, chants, the players with their children and families, Marko Arnautovic’s exuberance as he entertained the fans. A spontaneous and marvellous celebration. Unforgettable.

SAN SIRO AND THE CONCERTS

1980–2026

Throughout its history, San Siro has hosted iconic concerts by Italian and international artists who have written unforgettable chapters in the history of music. From Bob Marley, the first to perform at the Milanese stadium in 1980, to Bruce Springsteen; from Bob Dylan to Michael Jackson; and from Vasco and Ligabue right through to Coldplay and Taylor Swift. A long tradition of major musical events has also transformed San Siro into one of the key venues for the finest artists on the Italian and international scene.

SAN SIRO AND OTHER SPORTS

1980–2026

It’s not just about football and concerts: San Siro has also hosted major events in other sports, such as rugby – including the match between Italy and New Zealand on 14 November 2009, played in front of 80,000 spectators – and boxing, with the bouts between Loi and Ortiz in 1960 and Benvenuti versus Mazzinghi in 1965.