Former Inter striker Alessandro Altobelli, who helped Italy win the 1982 World Cup, has been inducted to the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Established in 2011, the Italian Football Hall of Fame adds new members each year, one to each of the seven categories, which includes players, coaches, referees and club directors, as well as categories for foreign and female players.
Members of the Hall of Fame include various legends like Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Gianluca Vialli, Arrigo Sacchi and Dino Zoff. Foreign players who’ve been inducted include Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo and Marco van Basten.
As reported by ANSA, Altobelli has been included in the Italian Football Hall of Fame in the ‘Italian veteran’ category, which includes various teammates who also won the 1982 World Cup.
The former striker spent 11 years of his playing career with Inter from 1977 to 1988, scoring 128 goals in 317 Serie A games for the club. For the Italian national team, he netted 25 goals in 61 caps.
Altobelli was clearly pleased with his inclusion to the Hall of Fame, discussing how it felt to be given the award.
“Receiving this award is a nice surprise and a great satisfaction. It is not for everyone to become part of the history of Italian football, sacrifices are needed, and you have to be ready at crucial moments.
“I have to thank all my Inter teammates and all the great champions I was lucky enough to play with in the national team.”