Graziano Mannari has his favorite moment at San Siro, and who can blame him? It happened in March 1989, when he came on as a substitute for AC Milan, who were already two points behind against Juventus. “The crowd was in full celebration mode,” he told Sky Sports.
“Every time we made a pass, they were chanting ‘Ole’. The ball was beautifully circulated again and again between the whole team – Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti, Carlo Ancelotti, Marco van Basten – and with every touch there was another ‘Ole’ cheer from the stands.”
“In my head I kept saying, “I want to touch the ball just once and have my ‘Ole!”” But the ball didn’t come to me until Roberto Donadoni hit a perfect cross. He went up and connected with a diving header, burying it in the top corner.
“At that moment, there was no gentle chant of ‘Ole’. The stadium was filled with thunderous cheers. The moment I landed, I couldn’t believe I had scored at all. But then my teammates ran up to me and hugged me. Then I scored again, making it 4-0. It was like a dream.”
Manali’s memory is one of thousands of special moments spent at San Siro. The following month, AC Milan’s team defeated Real Madrid 5-0 in the European Cup semi-finals, marking a power shift in the game and ushering in an era of Italian domination on the continent.
San Siro hosted the opening match of the following year’s World Cup, where Cameroon overwhelmed Diego Maradona’s Argentina. Great matches, moments and even photos have been captured since Inter’s 6-3 victory over Milan in 1926.
Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa watching a 2005 Champions League match
The image of Milan’s Rui Costa and Inter’s Marco Materazzi watching on as a flare rages through the city of San Siro has become a symbol. unity and division. beauty and the beast. Providing a snapshot of Italy’s most exciting and at the same time most volatile matches.
This match featured Inter’s legendary captain, Javier Zanetti. “It will always be a stadium that brings memories,” he told Sky Sports. “And it brought a lot of victories.”My personal favorite was his debut. “I couldn’t have imagined it was the first of 858 games.”
Javier Zanetti, photos from his time at Inter
Christian Eriksen made his Serie A debut for Inter in the Derby della Madonnina. He went on to score the winning goal in this match. “It’s a great stadium,” he told Sky Sports. “The end of Milan and the end of Inter, the curves are different. History tells us that.”
For Manali, its history represents football as high culture. He compares it to La Scala. “Just as the famous Milan Opera House has hosted the most beautiful performances and greatest artists, this stadium has staged some of the best shows of the game,” he says.
But a century after it all began, time is ticking here at San Siro. Plans are afoot to bring it down. “They’ve been saying that for the last 10 years,” Eriksen says, a little incredulous. But this time, plans are accelerating after the City Council approved the sale.
Milan and Inter will now be owners and will share rights and responsibilities regarding the construction of the new stadium, which will be built just west of the San Siro area. “If possible, we would like to keep part of the old stadium,” Eriksen added. That’s part of the plan.
iconic stadium design
His feeling of nostalgia for his old land is understandable. The word iconic has been so overused that it has long lost its meaning, but how else to describe San Siro? Wembley has always had a power of its own, and so has the Maracanã, but this place is the stadium of the heart.
The concrete tower spirals toward the sky, and the red girders that stick out look like a spaceship under construction. Other places sneak up on you. The unnatural San Siro is visible for miles. Like all cathedrals, this one is designed to inspire awe.
“When you play at San Siro, you really feel like you’ve stepped into another dimension, with the ring of towering stands looming over the pitch from all sides. You can’t even hear yourself talking to your teammates. You have to scream,” Manali explains.
“The ground literally shakes as the crowd cheers and whistles in protest. It’s a unique feeling that’s truly indescribable. Unless you’ve experienced it firsthand, it’s hard to imagine it. It’s the most beautiful stadium I’ve ever played in.”
But what is beautiful? It’s a little difficult to explain. If you were to draw a stadium, San Siro might be an early effort, but is it something inherent or because of its fame? In the world of sophisticated stadiums, this feels different. And even more so now.
Meet modern demands
Andrew Edge is an architect specializing in stadium design. The company he works for, Arup, is currently working on a project to renovate Fiorentina’s new stadium. Although he is well placed to discuss aesthetics, he also appreciates the role of these amphitheatres.
“While stadiums are a fundamental part of a club’s history, they have often been in the background of the story. But today we are seeing contemporary designs that place the stadium firmly at the heart of a club’s image and brand, making it stand out and instantly recognizable around the world,” he told Sky Sports.
“Stadiums are the setting for fans to experience memorable matches and events, so when designing a new stadium it is critical to understand the essence and soul of a club and identify the key elements that make it different and special.”
And don’t lose them. Part of the second tier will be used for the construction of the new San Siro. “When people think of San Siro, there are certain features that immediately come to mind, such as the red roof truss or the spiral slope. They are all part of the stadium’s DNA. We need to recognize these special features and use them as inspiration,” says Edge.
Panoramic view of the interior of Giuseppe Meazza San Siro stadium in Milan, late 1980s
“When designing a new stadium, it is very important that we respect the strong emotional connection that fans have with the old ground. We have to manage the transition and that takes time. It takes time to get used to the stadium, get used to it, understand how it operates and start to form attachments and bonds to the new stadium.”
“For this transition to be successful, it is essential to integrate physical reference points and nods to stadiums of the past into the new design – such as personal stories on the walls, photographs of famous players, memories of specific goals or great matches.
“It’s all about how you tell ‘your’ story. It creates emotion, inspires fans, builds a great atmosphere and, when combined with iconic design, creates a truly special stadium.”
“A great opportunity for Milan”
“Milan has a great opportunity to create a different version of San Siro. We have the perfect ingredients, the unique history of both teams, and an equally deserving and iconic stadium. All this, set in a global city like Milan, with inspiration from history, architecture, fashion, music and food, will make it something very special.”
Change is needed. One of the many impetus for this move was the fact that San Siro was not deemed suitable as a venue for Euro 2032 in its current state. I can’t think of it. However, it is a result of modernity and changing consumer demands.
“Over the last 20 years or so, stadium design has definitely evolved, not just from what we think of as a stadium, but also from what fans expect when they arrive at a stadium.
“We constantly analyze the fan experience to understand every step of the way through the spaces we design all the way to the seats in the seating bowl. How will the fans interact with the physical space of the stadium? How will they feel? What will they hear?”
“It’s important to create spaces that stimulate human emotions and stir the senses. It’s important to create drama and excitement and to do it in an authentic way.
“The speed of this evolution is only increasing. There is natural competition between teams and stadium owners, for example to get more seats or the latest technology. But the world is changing too. Trends change, fashion changes too.
“Fan expectations are also rising, so as stadium designers we need to adapt, respond and design to that and build in this flexibility so stadiums can evolve as well.”
“Clubs are constantly tweaking and changing their stadiums and the experience they offer. Some of these new stadiums have been around for less than five years.” Many of Italy’s grounds are the same as they were in Italia ’90.
“It’s always at San Siro.”
A new San Siro was always inevitable, given that “renovation projects can be even more difficult to bring up to modern standards.” This old location will host the opening ceremony of next month’s Winter Olympics. But we are now in the end game.
Even those who have good reason to be emotional about this subject can understand the need for change. “We might miss the historical part, but I think it needs an upgrade,” Eriksen admits. While Zanetti, who is currently Inter’s vice president, sent a message.
“Everything has changed,” he explains. “I believe that a team as important around the world as Inter needs a new, state-of-the-art stadium. The important thing is that it will always be at San Siro. I hope we can make special memories there too.”
And the chant of “Ole” will once again be heard at San Siro.
