The Cult of Calcio
Next May’s 2026 UEFA Champions League final will mark 16 long years since an Italian club last lifted the biggest prize in club football. The last Serie A side to complete that feat was Jose Mourinho’s Inter, who cemented their aging squad’s status as all-time greats by beating Bayern Munich in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, courtesy of a brace from veteran poacher Diego Milito. That triumph marked the third success in seven years for an Italian club on the grandest stage, but no one has managed to walk in the Nerazzurri‘s footsteps since.
Don’t get us wrong, many have come heartbreakingly close. Juventus reached two finals in three seasons in 2015 and 2017, only to be…
