5 Worst Signings In Inter History

You can achieve some great things as a club in football while still having plenty of misfires. Throughout Inter Milan history, there have been many great moments, but there have also been some pretty big errors. Let’s take a look at five of the worst signings in Inter history and how much they cost the team. Before we start the list, some of the “dishonorable” mentions include Jonathan, Nelson Rivas, Sulley Muntari, Gagibol, and Robbie Keane.

Vampeta

Born Marcos Andre Batista dos Santos in Brazil, many around the world knew him simply as Vampete, which was a portmanteau of vampiro (vampire) and capeta (devil). Vampeta began his professional career with Vitoria, then made his way to PSV Eindhoven where he was sent out on loan twice. The midfielder then played for Corinthians from 1998 to 2000 before Inter decided to spend millions to acquire him after a good reference from Ronaldo.

Vampeta seemed to simply not care while he was with Inter, making just eight appearances and scoring one goal over the course of six months. Vampeta even took a vacation to Brazil during the season, saying that he wanted to leave the club. Inter had to keep half of his rights in 2001 when the team sent him to Paris Saint-Germain, though the French club didn’t get much out of him either with just seven appearances.

Francesco Coco

A lot of people thought that left-backer Francesco Coco was the next big thing in Italian football after starting his career with AC Milan. He was part of the club from 1995 to 2002, and during that time he was also loaned out to Vicenza, Torino, and FC Barcelona. Inter Milan decided to take a chance on Coco’s potential after he turned 25 years old, making a €28 swap with AC Milan which also included Clarence Seedorf.

Coco was part of the Inter club for five years but was loaned out to both Livorno and Torino during that time. He appeared in just 26 matches for Inter, with much of his time being hampered by injuries. Coco even blamed the club for saying that he should undergo back surgery and derailing his career. He retired in 2007 at just 30 years old and actually pursued an acting career.

Vratislav Gresko

The Czech-born Vratislav Gresko is another left-back to make the list who didn’t live up to expectations. In 1995, he made his professional debut with Dukla Banska Bystrica, then made his way to Inter Bratislava where he played for two years. After a short sting with Bayer Leverkusen, Gresko signed with Inter for four years and a fee of nearly €5 million. Unfortunately, he would make just 41 appearances during that time.

Much of that was because his time with Inter was cut short as the team sent him to Parma. With Inter, Gresko had zero goals and his play was described as being erratic. Much of the blame came from the final match of the 2001-02 Serie A season when Gresko’s lack of defense caused the team to blow their shot at winning the title. 

Mancini

Known simply by his surname Mancini to most football fans, Alessandro Amantio was born in Brazil and made his professional debut in his home country back in 1999 (with Atletico Mineiro). Mancini enjoyed a terrific start to his career in South America, then made his way to Italy to join Venezia for a brief period in 2003. He then signed with Roma for five years where he had 154 appearances and 40 goals.

Mancini signed with Inter for €13 million in 2008, which is much more than you expect to give to someone that doesn’t appear on the top roster. Mancini made just 28 appearances throughout his stretch with Inter that lasted for three years, netting one goal in the process. After also fizzling out with crosstown rival AC Milan on loan, Mancini returned to South America for the rest of his career.

Ricardo Quaresma

The top spot on the list belongs to Ricardo Quaresma, a Portuguese player who started his career with Sporting in his native country. After an impressive start, he made the move to La Liga where he played for Barcelona between 2003 and 2004. He then headed back to Portugal to play for Porto, then joined Inter between 2008 and 2010. 

Quaresma’s fees tallied up to €18.6 and included Pele being sent to Porto. However, Quaresma appeared in just 24 league matches with Inter, scoring only one goal. Meanwhile, he had a brief run with Chelsea when it was sent out on loan before he signed with Besiktas in 2010, marking the end of an expensive and uneventful tenure with Inter.