Former Inter defender Lucio has revealed that the 2010 UEFA Champions League success against Bayern Munich was a dream come true, built on magnificent camaraderie within the squad.
Lucio was part of the Inter side that beat the German champions 2-0 in the final at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, with a superb rearguard display helping the Italian outfit to complete an unprecedented treble.
And the Brazilian says that it was the excellent relationships built up with team-mates that had helped the Milanese side to record a first Champions League success in 45 years.
"There is no question that it was a special Champions League for me because I was playing with my friends - there was a friendship in the squad that got into the club's history," said Lucio
"It marked my history as well because winning the Champions League and being in the FIFA XI best players was a very good surprise. It was a dream that came true. The final match was amazing."
Diego Milito scored the two goals that won the competition for Jose Mourinho's side, but the all-round team display was hailed afterwards, and Lucio supports that assessment.
"We imposed a balanced game. We knew Bayern were favourites due to their huge power. But our team meshed really well and we were confident," he continued.
Many believed the trophy to be destined for Lombardy after Inter's two-legged semi-final win over Barcelona, best remembered for a 10-man wall holding on to their aggregate lead in the away leg, and Lucio says that such results were key in giving his side belief that they could win the competition.
"Inter's path was a bit tense," he admits. "We had a big team and also a big responsibility. It was 45 years since the club's last Champions League trophy, so no doubt deep inside something was telling us: 'It has to be now, it has to be now.'"
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