After an impressive homecoming season at Genoa that saw him score 24 goals in 31 appearances, Diego Milito wad set to join Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side. The transfer was made official on 20th May 2009, as the Nerazzurri paid €28 million million for the Argentine striker.
He was shortly joined by former teammate Thiago Motta, who was signed for €10 million. This was a time when Inter and Genoa were involved in various transfer dealings, and Genoa ended up getting several Inter players as a part of this deal.The likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Robert Acquafresca, and Francesco Bolzoni were some of the names that ended up joining Genoa.
We will be looking back at Milito's debut season with Inter in this article, as he went on to put on a legendary display that will forever be remembered by Inter fans.
Instant impact
Diego Milito quickly adapted to his new life at Inter, with his first goal coming in an international club exhibition match against rivals AC Milan. Inter ended up winning that match 2-0.
This was just a sign of things to come, as Milito went on to put a masterclass in his first ever official Milan derby on 29th August. The match ended in a humongous 4-0 victory for Inter, with Milito assisting 2 goals and scoring a penalty.
A few weeks later on September 13th, Milito scored his second league goal in a 2–0 home win against Parma. This was the beginning of great things to come, as Milito went on to score consistently throughout the season. Milito's excellent goalscoring rate saw him average 0.8 goals per game at the time.
Milito showcased the same excellence in Inter that was evident at his former clubs, and he immediately established himself as a key player of Mourinho's side. He scored a total of 7 goals in his first 9 league appearances for the Nerazzurri.
European masterclass
Milito scored his first Champions League goal of the season against Dynamo Kyiv on 4th November, as Inter finished the match with a 2-1 victory. 3 months later on February 24th, Milito was yet again decisive as he scored an important goal in Inter's 2-1 round of 16 victory over Chelsea.
The Argentine continued his sensational European form in the quarter-finals as well, with Milito's goal being the difference between Inter and CSKA Moscow on 31st March.
Milito's magic extended to the Champions League semi-finals as well, as he scored once and assisted twice in Inter's legendary 3-1 home victory over Barcelona in the first-leg.
An instrumental part of a legendary season
Milito continued his excellence for Inter, and was vital towards the end part of the season. The Argentine scored the only goal in Inter's victory over Roma in the Coppa Italia final on 5th May 2010, thus giving Inter their first piece of silverware that season.
The Argentine broke Roma hearts in the league as well, as only two points separated Inter and Roma from achieving league glory. It was Milito's goal that gave Inter a 1-0 victory over Siena in the final match day, and that was ultimately the goal that made Inter Italian champions.
It was on May 22th, 2010 that Inter and Milito were on the verge of making history. Bayern Munich were the only obstacle in front of them towards achieving a historic treble. The 2010 UEFA Champions League final ended in a 2-0 scoreline, with the Argentine scoring a brace to seal his place in Inter Milan's list of eternal legends.
Inter and Milito achieved a historic treble, as Mourinho's men ended up winning it all. The Argentine finished the season with 30 goals in all competitions.
His heroics later saw him receive several awards, including both the 2009-10 Serie A Footballer of the Year
and 2009-10 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year accolades. It was an unforgettable season for the Argentine maestro.
