Dimarco Crowned Serie A Player of the Year at Gran Gala del Calcio

Inter walked into the Gran Gala del Calcio as champions and walked out with the night in their pocket. The club was officially named Serie A Club of the Year, the formal stamp on a dominant domestic campaign.

The headline, though, belonged to a local hero in full bloom.

Dimarco, from heartbreak to Player of the Year

Federico Dimarco, the left-sided force of this Inter side, was voted Serie A Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. For a wing-back to take the main individual prize says everything about the season he just delivered.

“Receiving an award like this is unique,” Dimarco said, still visibly moved. “Last year I set the assist record, and this season I want to improve even further.”

That hunger comes from a scar. Dimarco traced his turning point back to the night that could have broken him: a lost Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

“My breakthrough? It all started after the lost Champions League final against PSG, which pushed us to give our absolute maximum,” he explained. A defeat that once stung now drives every overlap, every cross, every sprint.

Inter-heavy Team of the Season

The Team of the Season underlined Inter’s grip on the league. The selected eleven read like a who’s who of this campaign, with Nerazzurri influence running right through it:

• Mile Svilar
• Marco Palestra
• Alessandro Bastoni
• Manuel Akanji
• Scott McTominay
• Luka Modric
• Hakan Calhanoglu
• Nico Paz
• Lautaro Martinez
• Donyell Malen

Calhanoglu’s presence in midfield and Bastoni’s at the back reflected the spine that powered Inter’s title charge, while Lautaro’s inclusion was inevitable after another prolific season.

Lautaro’s pride in the group

Captain Lautaro Martinez also stepped up to collect his own honours, recognition from the same peers who spend every weekend trying to stop him.

“It is always an honour to receive votes from colleagues,” he said. “We have a great group and had a fantastic season.”

It was a simple line, but it captured the mood: this is a team enjoying its peak, but fully aware that the standard they have set now becomes the minimum.

A contract cloud over a golden night

Not everything around Dimarco glowed under the gala lights. Amid the applause, he cut a more sober figure when the subject turned to his future.

“Renewal? Unfortunately, we haven’t spoken about it,” he admitted. “I hoped it would happen after last season’s performance.”

For a player just named the best in Serie A, the lack of contract talks with Inter’s hierarchy is striking. Dimarco did not hide his disappointment, even on a night built for celebration.

Yet he refused to let the issue dominate.

Eyes on Napoli, not on the boardroom

Dimarco quickly dragged the conversation back to the pitch, to the next test, to a fixture that has irritated Inter for too long.

“Now I want to remain focused on the match against Napoli,” he said. “We haven’t been able to win against them for too long.”

Awards in hand, questions in the air, and a grudge match looming. Inter’s gala is over; the real stage awaits.