To Juventus, the Scudetto Means Little. To Inter and the rest of Italy’s Clubs, it Means Everything.

Nine years is a long time. People grow, their personality changes, for better or for worse. In sports, nine years is like a century. It almost feels inevitable to try and overthrow a team that’s been at the very top for such a long stretch of time. However, it only takes a small stroke of good fortune for circumstances to change. Inter Milan were the lucky lads who got that. For the first time in nine years, Italian soccer has a new champion. The evil empire that Juventus has become in Italy has been vanquished. Their chokehold on Serie A and Italian cups has loosened. Everyone is thrilled as the parity that once made the Italian league such a powerhouse in Europe is returning slowly but surely. And Inter winning the Scudetto is just the beginning. 

Context is important in this manner. Ever since the Italian match-fixing scandal was uncovered in 2006, Juventus have risen from their relegation punishment as something completely different. They have grown into a massive club, their finances unparalleled by even the other big clubs in Italy. Inter, perhaps their biggest rival, is only worth around €743 million. Juve is worth €1.5 billion. Ever since they rejoined Serie A in 2007 following their easy promotion from Serie B, Juventus has become the most dominant team in all of Italian soccer. They haven’t let the Scudetto slip from them in that reign of dominance; their only blunders going to Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana in 2017 and 2019. Yet, Juve has set much loftier expectations for themselves after nine years of supremacy over the peninsula. Serie A has become less significant for the Turin giants. They’ve been pushing to win the Champions League, and have come close twice in 2015 and 2017, but lost in the final. Since then, their rivals have made it a mission to challenge them for the Scudetto and while Napoli and Lazio came close on two occasions, they ultimately failed, it was Inter Milan who finally slew the beast. Italy has competition for the first time in close to a decade; now the hope is it will continue. 

There is one thing Inter has that Juve doesn’t: a Champions League trophy in the 2010s. That 2010 treble by Inter came with a cost: a brutal era of mediocrity, but this was something that plagued Serie A as a whole as it declined in quality and global perception. Juventus avoided this as they became a more modern club and placed emphasis on winning the Champions League. As their rivals flourished, Inter suffered through new ownership from Indonesian investors then passed to Suning Group from China, a long saga of Mauro Icardi and his contract demands, a turnstile of managers, and countless bad transfers. Juve did not. Since returning to Serie A, Juve had four different managers across a decade. Inter have had 14 since Jose Mourinho left in 2010. Stability was not on Inter’s side, not until Antonio Conte’s appointment. 

The man was a former Juve manager who guided them to three Scudetto wins and then managed to win the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017. His arrival to Inter brought the foundation and culture of a winner, and he made sure the team and club executive branch know it. He froze out some of the club’s toxic players like Icardi and Radja Nainggolan, eventually selling them or loaning them out with no real intent to return them into the squad. He then shopped the Premier League for the players who had lost their touch in England, only for them to find their form again in Italy. Romelu Lukaku was bought for €84 million after he was cast out of Manchester United. Christian Eriksen for €20 million after his contract was running down at Tottenham. Alexis Sanchez loaned from United, later bought for €17 million, Ashley Young on a free, Matteo Darmian this season, all former Red Devils. Victor Moses on loan from Chelsea. Yes, Conte realized that the English system placed an emphasis on creating the best team, with the best tactics, the best fitness, and the best skill. At the front of this was Lukaku, who had learned he needed to be the team leader and mentor to Inter's young Argentine striker in Lautauro Martinez, and the two formed the deadliest striker duo in Italy. Conte's first season would see Inter miss out on a trophy, but the strides taken forward were huge. They only finished a point behind Juventus, made the Europa League final, and in the summer, secured Achraf Hakimi from Real Madrid. The tide was turning for Inter, and some of their other big Italian clubs as well.

Inter's title charge seemed out of reach at first glance. For most of the season, they were battling it out in the table against Juventus and the sudden revival of their city rivals, AC Milan. Sprinkle in Serie A phoenix club Atalanta, a very sturdy Lazio side, and the packed schedule of the Champions League, then the Europa League, then the Italian Cup, it seemed like an improbable task of toppling Juventus. Yet, they beat Juventus in their first matchup of the season on January 17th, and that was riding the wave of a run of form that included 32 points in a strong winter period for Conte's men. The galvanization of the squad was there: Inter were on pace for the title. Perhaps the cosmos aligned for them; at the same time, Juventus began to sputter. Andrea Pirlo as manager was yielding very suspect results, falling out of the title run late in the season. From there, it was all Inter, taking another 34 points and after Atalanta drew to Sassuolo on May 2nd, Inter had done the impossible. The Scudetto was theirs. The people danced in the street of Milan, and perhaps the rest of the country's teams smiled in admiration. The Juve dynasty was over. It was absolutely sensational. 

There were individuals that inspired the team to win this trophy. Lukaku potted 25 goals in Serie A, Martinez provided 17 more next to Big Rom, they were helped defensively by Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij at the back, Marcelo Brozovic in defensive midfield, Hakimi with his blistering speed from right wing-back, Eriksen an effect substitute attacking midfielder, Nicolo Barella going box to box, Samir Handanovic continuing his prime in goal. They may not have had Juve's money, and there are still some issues with the financial situation of the club and their Suning Corp. investment group, but what they did have was heart. They may not have been ambitious enough to consider themselves Champions League contenders, and later even Europa League contenders, but they sought to be the first to take the Scudetto back to Milan. Conte has said it was the hardest task of his career to win a title for Inter with Juventus so dominant and him lacking the funds to truly create a stronger squad, but he did what was necessary. In the end, Inter inspired Italian football to reclaim the parity that once made it the most ludicrous league in Europe. Winning the Serie A title was the start of a new era of Italian football, and the inspiration can't be avoided. More clubs have now realized Juventus are not immortal. They are a great team, but even they can be beaten; it takes a lot of willpower to go to battle with Juventus.

Inter have reclaimed the title, and the rest of Italy's clubs will hope this opens the door for them to return to the top. What comes in the summer and the transfer window will change how each team approaches the next season. Winning a title is the easier part; defending it is a whole other animal. Knowing Juventus, they will improve steadily this summer and they will not be gone for long. For now, the Milanese people will rejoice. And perhaps, so will the rest of Italy.