It is one of football’s super stadiums. It’s huge, it’s iconic, and it just has to be visited. It is the San Siro in Milan. The San Siro isn’t actually the stadium’s official name. San Siro is the name of the district the ground is located in. AC Milan and Internazionale are residents of Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, named after the Italian World Cup winner of the 1930s who played for Inter and, briefly, Milan. However, it’s known throughout the world as San Siro. And that fame comes from its size, its construction - and helped in no small way by the success of the two clubs that call it home. Work on the stadium began 90 years ago although the stadium you now see really came to fruition in 1990 ahead of the World Cup finals when it hosted six games. Inside the previous two tier arena gained an extra level of seating on three sides – extending the fourth would entail buying land from the Ippodromo horse racing track next door. Outside 11 concrete towers were constructed, walkways and stairwells to take the fans up to the dizzy heights of the third tier. Four of them supported the new roof – the distinctive red girders stick out of the top. Those renovations saw the stadium become all seater. Back in 1990 this gigantic stadium held 85,000 – now new seats have replaced the ageing ones and that capacity has been trimmed back to a still impressive 80,018. I took in a match from the upper level – and it’s an experience. You will find yourself peering down to the pitch through perspex glass and the occasional smoke flares. If you want to have a better view then a seat on the second tier is a better bet. Fans of
It is one of football’s super stadiums. It’s huge, it’s iconic, and it just has
