Giacinto Facchetti was born in Treviglio, Bergamo province on 18 July 1942.
A gifted all-round sportsman in his youth, he played football for his local
team and achieved good results in athletics championships. At the age of six
teen he was already a promising young player courted by Bergamo-based side A
talanta and Inter. Facchetti chose the Milanese Nerazzurri, and would go on
to become a legend.

Facchetti made his Italian top-flight debut on 21 May 1961 at the Stadio Oli
mpico in Rome. Inter beat Roma 2-0. The following Sunday in Milan he scored
the first of his 59 goals for Inter in a match against Napoli. It was Heleni
o Herrera, coach of the legendary Great Inter side of all time, who combined
Facchetti's attacking and defending abilities and invented the role of the
modern full-back.

In his playing career Facchetti won 4 Italian league titles, 2 European Cups
, 2 Intercontinental Cups and a Coppa Italia. He collected a total of 476 Se
rie A appearances for Inter. His international career was just as extraordin
ary. Facchetti earned 94 Italy caps (70 as captain), won the 1968 European c
hampionship with Italy in 1968 and captained the Azzurri against Brazil in t
he World Cup final in Mexico in 1970.

After his playing career Facchetti took up various managerial positions at I
nter, including technical director, board member, worldwide ambassador and v
ice president. On 30 January 2004 Massimo Moratti handed him the highest off
ice: Facchetti was the first player in Inter's history to become president.
Under his administration, Inter won a Scudetto, two Italian Cups and two Ita
lian Super Cups.

An icon of world football, Facchetti held a number of institutional roles wi
thin FIFA and UEFA along with the great champions who have written the histo
ry of the sport.
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