Taking part in aChampions Leaguefinal is not a thing anyone should take for granted, but some players more than others at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday will recognise that this might be their last chance. Francesco Acerbi, at 37 years and 110 days, would become the third-oldest man to play in and win the competition’s showpiece if he can help Inter beat Paris St-Germain.
“I’m calm, but also agitated,” said the centre-back during the Italian club’s media open day at the start of this week. “The closer it gets the more tense I feel. We hope it will be a beautiful final but in the end the important thing is lifting the cup … It’s a thing that drives you out of your mind, gives you goosebumps. I would do anything to lift it.”
It is thanks to him that Inter even have a chance. Acerbi’s improbable 92nd-minute goal against Barcelona –his first-ever goal in a Uefa club competition, scored with his weaker right foot – forced their semi-final to extra-time. A moment that could make you believe this is simply their year.
But what if it isn’t? The possibility that Inter could end this season without silverware seemed unthinkable six weeks ago, when they sat top of Serie A, with European and domestic semi-finals to come. Then they gotthrashed by a mediocre Milanin the Coppa Italia andsurrendered the league to Napoli– even blowing a chance to reclaim first place in the penultimate round when theygave away a last-minute penalty to Lazio.
Inter played the best football in Italy this season, only to be undone by fatigue and inattentiveness at key moments. Napoli absolutely deserved the scudetto, but theirs was a triumph of efficiency – earned with superior ruthlessness and the advantage of playing 17 fewer games across all competitions.
A strong argument can be made for Inter as the most impressive side through this Champions League, if we consider the tournament in its entirety. PSG have been exceptional in this calendar year but were on course to miss the knockout phase entirely at the start of December.
As close as Inter came to elimination against Barcelona, they have only been in losing positions for a total of 16 minutes through this entire competition. Even that figure includes the six they spent trailing Bayern Munich in second leg of the quarter-final, when the aggregate score was tied at 2-2.
All of which to say Simone Inzaghi’sNerazzurriare a special team: tactically innovative, flexible, packed with exceptional talent. And painfully aware that they risk ending this season with nothing to show for it. “In a final there is no chance to fix things [if they go wrong],” said the manager this week. “You need running, aggression and determination.”
Inter believe they are ready for this opportunity in ways they were not when they faced Manchester City in the 2023 final. They pushed Pep Guardiola’s side close back then but failed to take their chances in front of goal. All through this season’s run, we have heard players and coaches talk about how that experience taught them to better navigate the big moments.
“We lost that final, but it allowed us to mature a lot,” said Inter’s captain and top scorer Lautaro Martínez this week. “I think we arrive now perfect in every aspect. It’s almost all the same team we had in Istanbul.”
As many as nine players who played against City two years ago could feature again at some point on Saturday. That is a double-edged sword. Experience can be invaluable, but Acerbi is not the only one getting up in years. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is 36 now, and Matteo Darmian 35. The goalkeeper they signed to replace André Onana, Yann Sommer, is also 36, albeit ageing like the finest wine.
There is a sense of “now or never” for this group, amplified by reports Inzaghi himself might move on at the end of the campaign. Talk of an approach from Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League led the veteran Sky Sport pundit Paolo Condò to imagine him “bathing in money like Scrooge McDuck”, though the manager rejected any suggestion of a deal already done.
“As happened at Lazio and now at Inter, requests have come in from Italy, abroad, Saudi Arabia,” said Inzaghi. “Right now, it would be crazy to think about that. I have a great relationship with the directors here and with [club owners] Oaktree [Capital Management]. We will talk the day after the match, as we have always done.
Sign up toFootball Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
“If the conditions are right, we’ll move forward in harmony. But to talk about my future today would be crazy.”
There are echoes of 2010, when José Mourinho led Inter to a Champions League triumph – in that case completing the treble – then immediately left to join Real Madrid. Inter’s president, Beppe Marotta, said he was “optimistic” things will be different this time and that “Inzaghi’s cycle is not over”. There have been reports the club are willing to provide a substantial transfer budget to persuade the manager to stay.
That would be a major shift. In four years since Inzaghi took over, the most expensive signings have been Benjamin Pavard and Davide Frattesi, each for a little more than €30m (£25m). Over the same period, they have frequently sold starters to balance the books, including Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea for more than €110m and Achraf Hakimi (€68m) to this weekend’s opponent’s PSG.
Inter have done extraordinary work recruiting replacements at bargain prices. They signed Denzel Dumfries for a little less than €15m, who this season has contributed 11 goals and six assists from right wing-back. Marcus Thuram arrived as a free agent and has become one of the club’s best players. Even his 27 combined goals and assists in 2024-25 do not fully tell the story of how he has developed into a perfect foil for Lautaro up front.
Still, it feels revealing that Inter used the smallest squad of any team in Serie A this season. Considering the late collapse and failure to win any domestic silverware, it is tempting to ask whether Inzaghi’s aspiration to compete on every front was unrealistic from the start.
Or maybe no other trophy matters if they win on Saturday, becoming the first Italian club to lift the Champions League since they did it under Mourinho 15 years ago. “We have an appointment with history,” said the defender Alessandro Bastoni. “I’m sure Inter will have a chance to fight for the scudetto again in the next few years. But this match can change our careers.”
The voice of a player who, at 26, knows he has more chapters ahead. For Acerbi and his fellow Inter old-timers the outlook is different, and all at once the same. “If you told me I could lose the Scudetto but play the Champions League final again, I would always choose the Champions League final,” he said. “I’ve won a league title before.”