5. Inter Milan (1963-1965)
To say that this Inter Milan team is under-appreciated is perhaps a tad harsh. They are ranked as one of the top teams of the Champions League but I wonder whether some British fans know them better for their loss to Celtic in 67, rather than their two consecutive European Cup victories. In 1960 Inter acquired one of the most successful managers in European football at the time: Helenio Herrera. Il Mago brought with him two key things that turned the fortunes of the club around. The first was Luis Suarez obviously not the controversial Liverpool striker who won the European Player of the Year for his success at Barcelona. He was the original Andres Iniesta. The second thing Herrera introduced was a concept: Catenaccio. While he didnt invent the tactic, he did perfect it. The approach uses four fixed defenders each one man marking an attacker and a libero or sweeper to play behind the two centre backs. This position was key, as the player in that role would help deal with attacks if a defender was beaten and would start counter-attacks, which was the reason for many Inter goals. Armando Picchi whom Livornos stadium is named after took on the role of Captain and libero. He led Il Grande Inter out in 64 against Real Madrid. The famous Whites still had Puskas and De Stefano but they werent the team they once were, with both the legends 37-years-old at the time. Two goals from Sandro Mazzola and one from Aurelio Milani were enough for a 3-1 victory. The Nerazzurri won their second championship one year later against the mighty Benfica. The Portuguese team including a 23-year-old Eusebio were almost at their peak at the time of the match. The Inter side remained mostly the same from the year before and it took only one goal from Jair da Costa to lift Big Ears once more.