FC Internazionale Milano and the entire Inter family join in mourning the passing of Osvaldo Bagnoli and, in remembering him, send their deepest sympathies to his family.
Humble, respectful, genuine: Osvaldo Bagnoli was an authentic man, someone who fully reflected Milano and his Bovisa neighbourhood, where he was born on 3 July 1935 and where he grew up. A person of great intelligence, Bagnoli was a footballer for 18 years before becoming a coach, the role in which he became known and widely appreciated. A thougtful, methodical and meticulous manager, Bagnoli was known for writing down every useful note for training sessions and matches in a notebook – his faithful “quadernètt”, as he called it. His masterpiece as a coach was the Scudetto won with Hellas Verona in the 1984/85 season, during his nine-year spell in charge of the club. Then, after two seasons at Genoa, in 1992 came the call from Inter: a Milanese coach for Inter, tasked with reviving the Nerazzurri through his hard work and dedication. Bagnoli built a team around Ruben Sosa and came close to achieving an incredible feat, almost overturning an 11-point deficit to AC Milan (two points for a win). His second season was not as successful, and his Inter adventure ended in February 1994 after a total of 56 matches in charge. He did not buy newspapers, but he read them, memorised them, and kept himself informed while sitting at the bar counter. A man from another era, a man of old-fashioned values who was never afraid to go against the grain: humble and reserved, yet gifted with exceptional intelligence. In 2017, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Inter was his final chapter as a coach. Today, the Club remembers Osvaldo Bagnoli with great affection, the “Wizard of Bovisa”, one of the most iconic managers in Italian football history.
