The '''Stadio and
Internazionale , and one of the most famous soccer stadia in the world. Although it has been officially renamed ''Giuseppe Meazza'' in honour of the Inter and Milan player of the
'30s and
'40s , it is still commonly called the ''San Siro''.
The stadium construction started in
1925 in the Milanese district of San Siro, which gave its original name. The idea to build a stadium in the same district of the horse racing track, belongs to the man who then was the president of A.C. Milan, Piero Pirelli. The architects designed a stadium only for soccer (there is no athletics track in it). The inauguration was on
19 September ,
1926 , when 35,000 spectators saw Inter defeat A.C. Milan 6-3. Actually, during the first years the stadium was property of A.C. Milan and only A.C. Milan played its home matches there. Then in
1935 the "Comune di Milano" (city council) bought the stadium and this allowed the stadium itself to be renovated.
Internazionale started to play its home matches in the San Siro stadium only in 1947.
San Siro is one of the top 23 European football stadiums rated "" by
U.E.F.A. .
- 1939 End stands enlarged and corners filled in. A crowd of 55,000 for Italy 2 England 2.
- 1940 65,000 for Italy v Germany .
- 1956 Completion of two tiers giving a claimed capacity of 150,000 but actually around 100,000. Opened in April 25, in front of 125,000 spectators for Italia - Brasil 3-0 (Goals: Virgili 2, De Sordi). After the Heysel tragedy the capacity was reduct to 90,000 in the mid 80's.
- 1987, as a preparation for the 1990 World Cup the Italian government gave the Milanese council $30 million for its modernization, but in the end, the cost was more than double that. Project 1990 by Ragazzi e Hoffner e Salvi: 11 concrete towers of 50 meters high. Top roof at 60 meters
- 1990 Third tier completed on three sides giving an all seated capacity of 88,500.
- 2002 Sky Box: 20 for 200 seats. 400 all-seats for journalists.
- 2003 85,700 all-seats
