The title success was greeted by city rivals AC Milan and Juventus on social media, who both shared messages congratulating Inter. Juventus had won Serie A for the last nine seasons.

Inter fans took to the streets of Milan to celebrate, gathering in the shadows of the Duomo cathedral in the city centre.

Club president Steven Zhang, son of Suning owner Zhang Jindong who bought a controlling stake in 2016, was in town too having returned to Italy this week. He spoke of his delight in a statement on the club website.

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“It’s emotional, and a special time for everyone involved in this project and who has been with us on this journey,” Zhang said after the title was secured.

Victory for Inter is a historic moment for Chinese-owned overseas football clubs. It is the first time that a majority-owned club has won any of Europe’s “big five” leagues – the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1, Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga.

Manchester City, whose City Football Group ownership company has minority Chinese investment, have won the English Premier League several times, while Chinese-owned Slavia Prague have also been Czech champions.

“Thanks, first of all, to the fans, to those that work with us and obviously to our coach Antonio Conte and to the players, who have worked so hard to bring this title home,” Zhang continued.

“Furthermore, I want to thank the employees and directors, the two managing directors, who have supported me this year and the five years previous. All those who have been a part of this project, who have worked with us not only this year but also in the past. I think that they are all part of this Scudetto and that this title belongs to all of them. A massive thank you to all of them.

“A special thank you to my father and to Massimo Moratti, who has guided me throughout the years, supported me from an emotional and mental standpoint and helped me to understand what Inter is.

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“Last but certainly not least, thanks to the fans, who love sport and this Inter that they follow. I hope that this joy in such a difficult time can bring everybody a bit of positive energy.

“It’s a special day. Speaking with the players after the win against Crotone, I told them that I almost couldn’t have imagined that this would happen.

“We’re here thanks to some really hard work in recent months and years. There are no words in reality and in my experience that I can use to describe all of this.

“To our fans throughout the world, in Milan and in Italy, this Scudetto is for you. It is dedicated to you and we hope that it brings you joy and hope. We hope that this shows the value of hard work.

“The future of Inter, of the project and of the Inter world is the same as it has been for 100 years and it will always be this way. Our objective is to spread positive energy, hope, inclusivity and innovative ideas to the people that follow us.

“It’s not important if you’re an Inter fan, a football aficionado or even if you’re not a big sports fan; everything that we do, our message and our project will have these values.”

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Zhang also marked the win on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

“Inter win the Serie A title,” he wrote. “We never gave up even at a time when the pandemic was still ongoing! These are the Nerazzurri colours. They bring us hope and light. We can be proud to say, FC Internazionale Milano, we are champions!”

Zhang was seen speaking to the players at the training ground in midweek as they closed in on the title.

However, the president is also in town to secure the investment in the club that has been touted all season.

The Italian giant’s finances have been questioned for months after the troubles of their owners back home, in large part due to the impact of Covid-19. The club also has mounting debts.

Italian media reported that the players will forego bonuses for winning the title to help their owners and there is speculation on the future of the players and coach Conte.

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Retail giant Suning has had to raise funds to stay in business and streamlined all of its noncore businesses, including football.

Their Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning won the CSL title for the first time last November but ceased to exist in the close season as Suning cut funding.