"Passion and personality have always been in my blood. No one will ever say, 'If only Ivan could try to chase this ball...' because I would never give up every ball, every chance. ”
Ivan Zamorano on the pitch runs tirelessly, worthy of every applause, every compliment and every cheer. His football career at Inter milan was such a surprise that he built a deep bond with Meazza and everything around him and won the love of everyone.
On Chile's legendary 50th birthday, he did not forget his Inter Milan club in order to send blessings. His face is still full of self-confidence, and although there are a few more traces of time, his brave temperament has not changed in the slightest.
Looking back on his entire career, from Chile to Switzerland, to Spain, to Italy, to Mexico, and finally back to Chile, his nickname has always been "Bam-Bam". The name is derived from a character in the cartoon The Flintstones: Benny's young, brave, energetic, and indefatigable son.
Coming to Europe from the Salvador Cobsell football team, Zamorano has been practicing a must-do skill that has been honed since childhood throughout the season: the header. The kid who was born in Santiago, from an early age, would jump up and down the corridors, repeatedly jumping up and down to try to touch the light bulbs on the ceiling, and that's how his physical fitness and head skills were honed. His qualities were gradually revealed at this time: diligence, hard work, tenacity and fearlessness.
At the age of 20, Zamorano joined St. Gallen F.C. in Switzerland, where he successfully entered European football. During his time at St. Gallen, the young Chilean striker had already shown his prowess, and to this day, fans still remember the name – like a strong emotional ripple. His excellent performance attracted the attention of many clubs and successfully joined Sevilla in Spain. During his time at Sevilla, his goal-scoring ability and dominance in the penalty area gave many La Liga teams a headache and attracted the attention of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid, anxious to find a successor to Butragueno, finally decided to bring Zamorano to the Bernabeu. Zamorano did not disappoint the Madrid fans, and in his first season after joining, he led Real Madrid, which was completely suppressed by Barca at that time, out of the trough, becoming the top scorer in the league with 24 goals, helping Real Madrid to regain the league title. Real Madrid's 5-0 home win over Barca was even more gratifying. With his wonderful performance at Real Madrid, Zamorano established himself as a world-class goalscorer in one fell swoop, and the name "Ivan the Terror" was widely spread.
The Nerazzurri beat Bayern Munich in 1996 to sign Zamorano. Although he performed well at Real Madrid, then-coach Jorge Baldano did not trust him, which eventually led to Zamorano's departure. But years later, the Argentine coach, who eventually became Real Madrid's sporting director, admitted his mistake.
"I made huge mistakes against Zamorano; underestimated his self-esteem and his influence on the whole team." Baldano explains, "Before we really understand his bouncing power: Zamorano doesn't even have to jump, he's the killer who fell from the sky." ”
The Nerazzurri soon discovered The High Dominance of Zamorano. In his first season with the club, he broke through Milan's door in a derby to help Inter beat their city rivals 3-1. Then, against Cagliari, he received a cross from Paul Ince to complete the header and score the entire goal as if he were walking in the air.
No longer the little kid in the hallway of his hometown who jumped high and tried to touch the light bulb with his head, Zamorano came to the Apennines and put on the jersey of his dreams. From Herrera to Aaltobel, from Luis Suarez to Giacento Fáchetti, as well as Mazzola and Meazza, he knows everything about Inter.
In the 1997/98 season, Zamorano helped Inter once again stand at the top of Europe. In the Europa League semi-final match against Sparta Moscow, he led the team to the final with another header. Facing Lazio at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Inter lifted the trophy and the opening score of Zamorano became the new icon of the entire chilean country.
Ivan's famous No. 9 shirt is a tribute to his father, who died at the age of 13 in Zamorano. His understanding of football stems from the grief of losing his father, who passed on all his love for football to Ivan Jr. Every goal Ivan scored seemed to see his father's shadow. Unfortunately, his strike partner Ronaldo gave up the No. 10 shirt in 1998 due to Baggio's arrival, opting for the No. 9 shirt, and considering the internal atmosphere of the team, Zamorano still allowed the "aliens" to take away his beloved jersey number.
But Zamorano, who did not accept defeat, left the No. 9 in a special way. He chose 18 and a plus sign. Since then, the legend of 1+8 has been born, and this novel number has made Ivan well known to fans around the world. The shirt, which still hangs in Zamorano's home in Santiago, became a spiritual link between his father, his country and Inter Milan.
At Inter, Zamorano showed his confidence, diligence, hard work, tenacity and fearlessness. Inter milan will never forget the Chilean's wonderful performance on the pitch and will never forget his deep love for Inter.