We all know that Inter Milan is one of the most legendary clubs in the world of football. The Nerazzurri have won the Serie A championship 18 times, the Coppa Italia 7 times, the UEFA Cup 3 times and the Champions League three times. Fellow townsmen AC Milan also won the Serie A 18 times and Juventus won the championship title 34 times.

The period between 2000 and 2010 was by far the most successful decade of all time for Inter Milan, winning the Serie A a total of 5 times. Therefore, we want to take the opportunity to create a list of the best 5 players from the period between 2000 and 2010. In 2010, Inter won the Serie A championship for the last time, so who were the best 5 Inter signings that played a decisive role in achieving these successes? If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that if Inter Milan had these 5 players below in their current squad, they would be a serious contender for the title in the Serie A.

Zlatan Ibrahimović (2006-2009)

The first player in this list is the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Swede arrived at Inter after Juventus relegated due to the Calciopoli Scandal implicating league champions Juventus and other major Italian teams. Ibrahimović led the team to three scudetti during his time at Inter. Zlatan scored an astounding 57 goals in 88 league appearances in three seasons. In 2009 he left the nerazzurri scoring 25 goals in his last season before being transferred to Barcelona in a swap deal involving Eto’o. Which brings us to the second player in the list: Samuel Eto’o.

Samuel Eto’o (2009-2011)

Samuel Eto’o’s time at Inter was rather brief, but the Cameroonian was still able to make his mark during the two seasons he was an Inter Milan player. As mentioned above, Eto’o joined the club in 2009 as part of a swap deal that sent Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona, one striker for the other plus €46 million in cash for Inter. In his first season, he won the Champions League, after having won the cup with Barcelona the previous year. To this day, many Inter fans still regret selling Eto’o in 2011 to the Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala, a three-year deal that made him the world’s highest-paid player, with a salary of €20 million.

Esteban Cambiasso (2004-2014)

In 2004, Inter Milan signed Esteban Cambiasso on a free transfer from Real Madrid, where he was not needed anymore after Real signed David Beckham. The iconic Argentinian would stay at Inter for 10 seasons and arguably became one of the best midfielders to ever have played for I Nerazzurri. “Cuchu” scored 41 goals in 315 league games, playing as an advanced creative midfielder. His impressive presence on the pitch during his glory days make him one of the most liked players ever to have worn the Inter jersey.

Iván Córdoba (2000-2012)

The Columbian who retired from professional football in 2012 is one of the most legendary players to have played at Inter Milan. Iván Córdoba is a player who knows what club love means, Inter is the one and only European football club he played for. Córdoba was an integral part of the defense for 12 years, he played 324 league matches and scored 15 goals. In total, the athletic central defender won 5 Serie A titles, 4 Coppa Italia titles, 3 Supercoppa Italiana titles and 1 UEFA Champions League. The fans remember Córdoba as a player who stood out for his leadership, one of the reasons why he became a team manager at Inter after retiring from professional football.

Julio Cesar (2005-2012)

The Brazilian goalkeeper was transferred from Flamengo, initially being registered to Chievo, where he would not play one game. This because of Serie A regulations that impose a cap on the number of non-EU players clubs can assign from abroad. Cesar won five Serie A titles and was a three-time Coppa Italia champion. The goal stopper wore the Inter jersey in 228 league appearances, conceding only 203 goals. Next to winning the World Cup with Brazil, the 2009-10 Champions League campaign is the shining moment in the Brazilian’s career, winning the final against Bayern München. In 2018, Cesar left Europe and went back to Flamengo to retire 4 months later.’

Christian Vieri (1999-2005)

Though Christian Vieri was actually a 90’s signing, we still want to include him in this list as an honorable mention. Vieri was acquired by manager Massimo Moratti for €49 million, a world record-fee in 1999. Vieri played for many different teams in Italy but was at Inter longer than any other club, Inter would be Vieri’s 9th club in his 9th season of being a professional football player.

The centre forward scored an astonishing 103 goals in 143 league appearances. He won the Capocannoniere – the prize for the player who scored the most Serie A goals – in the season 2002/03 after having scored 24 goals in 23 games. Oddly enough, “Bobo” Vieri didn’t win any titles. In the summer of 2005, Vieri and Inter came to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract with the club and the Italian left to rival AC Milan.

The post The 5 Best Players Inter Milan Signed Between 2000 And 2010 appeared first on Sempreinter.

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