Inter are looking to win their first trophy in nine years as they take on five-time winners Sevilla in the Europa League final this evening.
It was all the way back in May 1998 that Inter last lifted their third UEFA Cup in history after beating Lazio 3-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris in the all-Italian final, but have since failed to prove their worth in the competition.
Goals from key players Zamorano, Zanetti and Ronaldo secured the win for the Nerazzurri 22 years ago, but it was the club’s entire 1997-1998 European campaign that proved to be historic... Sportsmail looks back on a golden era and a golden game for the club.
How they got there
After losing 4-1 to Schalke on penalties on their home turf in the UEFA Cup final just 12 months before, Inter were determined to prove their worth on the European stage.
The 1998 final was Inter's opportunity to pick up their fourth Europa League crown in the space of eight years, having previously lifted the trophy in 1991 and 1994 as well.
Inter's first Europa League triumph came against Serie A rivals Roma in a two-legged final which saw them win 2-0 at San Siro before limiting Roma to a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico to come out 2-1 winners on aggregate.
Three years later Inter claimed their second title, beating Austria Salzburg 1-0 in both legs to emerge victorious.
During their 1998 campaign, Inter defeated Schalke 04 in the quarter-final and Spartak Moscow in the semi-final to earn their ticket to Paris.
However, Lazio were also heading into the 1998 final off the back of an impressive run with momentum behind them. Sven-Goran Eriksson's impressive side overcame Auxerre in the quarter-final and Atletico Madrid in the semi-final to face Inter Milan at the Parc des Princes.
They had also recently beaten AC Milan to pick up the Coppa Italia title and remained undefeated against the Nerazzurri that season.
Line ups
Ronaldo, who was referred to as ‘El Fenomeno’, fronted up Inter’s attack - having scored 100 goals across the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
Standing alongside Ronaldo was Pavel Nedved, who was only in his second season in Italy. The Czech winger established himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet, with Eriksson referring to him as: ‘Atypical, totally complete’.
As for Lazio, the pressure rested on the shoulders of newly appointed captain, Alessandro Nesta. Known for his power, speed, inspired tackling, distribution and tight marking, the centre-back was foundation of the team.
The game proved to be a feisty one with seven yellow cards and two red cards awarded. Taribo West was responsible for one of the red cards, being sent off in the 82nd minute, putting Inter down to 10 men. Though Lazio's defensive midfielder Matias Almeyda followed suit, being sent of in the 88th minute.
Lazio: Marchegiani, Negro, Favalli, Casiraghi, Mancini, Nesta, Fuser, Nedved, Grandoni, Jugovic, Venturin
Subs: Ballotta, Lopez, Marcolin, Rambaudi, Gottardi (Grandoni 55mins), Almeyda (Vebturin 49mins)
Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson
Cards: 4 Yellows Cards, 1 Red Card
Inter Milan: Pagliuca, Zanetti (scored 60mins, carded 63mins), Djorkaeff, Fresi, Winter, Zamorano (scored 5mins), Ronaldo (scored 70mins), Se Elias, Simeone, West, Colonnese
Subs: Mazzanti, Galante, Kanu, Cauet (Djorkaeff 69mins), Moriero (Winter 69mins) Recoba, Sartor (Zamorano 74mins)
Coach: Luigi Simoni
Cards: 3 Yellow Cards, 1 Red Card
The match
Luigi Simoni led Inter Milan as they faced Italian counterparts, Lazio, at the Parc des Princes on May 6, 1998.
Simoni lined up with a 4-3-3 formation, with Ivan Zamorano and the fearsome Ronaldo leading the attack and Youri Djorkaeff alongside them.
Under Sven, Lazio would go on to win Serie A in 2000, but they weren't quite the finished article two years earlier and the pressure of such a momentous occasion seemed to get to them early on.
An imperious Javier Zanetti put Zamorano through on goal to bury one past goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani after just five minutes to score in his second consecutive final and the first of the Nerazzurri's three goals.
From there, the flood gates opened. Brazilian sensation Ronaldo took the world by storm once again by showcasing his sublime footballing skills.
Poor Nesta, one of Europe's hottest young prospects, was left in the heart of Lazio's defence to handle the sole responsibility of taming the attacking sensation. However, the feat proved too difficult as Ronaldo created multiple opportunities for his side.
The Brazilian fired in the free-kick that fell to Zamorano, who headed into the path of Zanetti to fire a rocket into the top corner.
The 21-year-old striker went on to hit the post in the first half before finishing the game off with Inter's third and final goal of the game. It was a performance for the ages from the greatest player on earth at the time.
The fallout
Ronaldo was the star in Paris in May of 1998. That summer though, didn't go quite to plan. The Brazilian was, of course, at the centre of world football's most infamous moments when he was mysteriously left out of (then put back into) Brazil's line up in the World Cup final against France. The feared striker was ineffective that day as the hosts romped to victory and in many ways his best days were at that point behind him.
Ronaldo missed the majority of the 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons due to a recurring injury, before joining Real Madrid in 2002.
Former Inter owner Massimo Moratti would go on to bring in Robbie Keane for £13m from Coventry to fill the void, but the atmosphere within the team spiralled out of control.
Striker Christian Vieri caused plenty of upset at the Italian outfit, picking rows with everyone including his own fans.
Inter finished the season in 5th place due to the backdrop of unrest and animosity among the players. It was 2005 before the Nerazzurri added to their trophy cabinet once again and a further five years before Jose Mourinho would return them to the top of European football.
