San Siro is more than a soccer stadium.
It is a temple where faithful worshippers from all over Italy and Europe have offered libations for almost a century.
This Saturday, San Siro will host the UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The 90-year old silent seats are not new to big lights and illustrious names.
The stadium, formally known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza but commonly referred to as San Siro, is named after two-time World Cup winner Giuseppe Meazza, who played for both Inter Milan and A.C. Milan between 1927 and 1947. It hosted six World Cup matches during Italy 1990, and has also hosted four UEFA Cup finals and three Champions League finals.
Italian legend Giuseppe Meazza gave San Siro its formal name, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza Photo: @GHsports5050 | Twitter
Inter Milan and A.C. Milan both play their Serie A home games in this 81,000-seat theater. The two Milanese teams fill the stadium at least twice a year when they play each other in one of the world’s most renowned soccer rivalry matches.
San Siro has been called home by the likes of Ronaldinho, Ibrahimovic, Shevchenko, Kaka, Ronaldo, Eto’o and Pirlo, just to name a few. It is the biggest stadium in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe. Its walls have seen historic moments in European soccer unfold in the Milanese foggy weather.
The last time two teams walked on the grass to the Champions League’s music to play a final was on May 23, 2001. That night, Bayern Munich beat Valencia at penalties after a grueling battle. This time around two Spanish teams will face each other bringing an all-Madrid rivalry to Milan.
Whoever walks away from the colossal stadium with the “Big Ears” (the nickname given to the Champions League’s Cup in many European languages — La Orejona in Spanish, La Coupe aux Grandes Oreilles in French, Le Grandi Orecchie in Italian) will write another page in San Siro’s noble history.
