As an attacking full-back, in the 'Grande Inter' team which enjoyed great success in the 1960s, the tall Facchetti played with elegance and fluidity as he dashed down the flanks, scoring an unusually high number of goals for a defender.

Off the field he was a rarity in being a noted footballer who became a respected club official.

As director and then president of Inter he maintained the approach he had shown as 'Il Capitano' -- calm and self-assured but courteous and friendly -- rare qualities in the often backbiting atmosphere of Italian football.

Facchetti was a one-club man. He played all his 18 seasons with Inter and worked for the club from 1985. He was loyal as a player to Inter's then president Angelo Moratti and as an official showed the same commitment to his son, current owner Massimo.

As a player Facchetti was a leader, captaining Italy on 70 occasions, and an innovator, pioneering the role of the attacking full-back.

The Inter side of the 1960s, coached by Argentine disciplinarian Helenio Herrera, are remembered for their defensive 'catenaccio' tactics but that 'bolted door' approach also required players who could launch counter-attacks.

Facchetti was crucial to the system and, at a time of few goals in a Serie A dominated by tight defences, his 10 strikes in the 1965-66 season were a remarkable record for a defender, especially as he was not a penalty taker.

Although these days it is common to see full-backs charging down the wings, with Brazilians Cafu and Roberto Carlos the best known examples, Facchetti was the trailblazer for such an approach.

The results were impressive -- with Facchetti Inter won four Serie A titles and two European Cups. Italy won the 1968 European Championship and were beaten finalists in the 1970 World Cup.

He was a hard tackler and a strict captain but in his 476 Serie A appearances for Inter he picked up just one red card -- and that for ironic applause of a refereeing decision.

As the aftershocks of Italy's match-fixing scandal, which did not involve Inter, reverberate through the game it is Facchetti's personality which has been noted by so many.

"With his departure we lose an example of what it means to be a club official. He was an example of fairness, of being a gentleman and of competence," said Serse Cosmi, a former Serie A coach.

"In a moment such as this, he is a great loss to football," he added.

Italy's World Cup-winning midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, who plays for Inter's city rivals AC Milan, noted another rarity relating to Facchetti -- the respect he commanded across the game.

"His departure is painful because he was a real sportsman, one who was never hated by opposing fans, in fact they loved him too," said Gattuso, who along with the rest of the Italy team facing France in Paris on Wednesday will wear a black armband in tribute to the 94-times Azzurri player.

Facchetti leaves his wife Giovanna and four children.