‘Dai Highlander’ (go Highlander) screams an excited fan as Javier Zanetti embarks on one of his trademark surging runs during Inter’s 2-1 home win over Cagliari on November 19. Kevin Azzopardi travelled to Milan to meet ‘Il Capitano’
A living legend.
Professionalism is certainly very important... to live, day after day and with passion, this sport that has given me so much
I can’t think of better words to describe the man who has just sauntered into the sun-lit players’ lounge at Inter’s training complex in Appiano Gentile on this glorious autumn morning.
His mere presence commands instant respect from all those present, including his team-mates who are relaxing before the day’s training session.
A sense of reverence grips my two friends, both avid Inter fans, at the sight of Javier Zanetti walking towards us but after greeting his close mate Sergio Soldano, Il Capitano immediately makes us feel at ease with a warm handshake before inviting us to his table as he orders a cup of tea.
His outstanding footballing achievements aside, it is this gentleness, this down-to-earth approach that makes Zanetti one of the most respected players in world football and an Inter icon.
Talking of achievements, I don’t know where to start really.
Zanetti is Inter’s most representative player with over 765 appearances, winning a total of 16 major trophies since joining the Serie A giants from Argentine club Banfield in 1995.
He also holds the record for most caps in the history of Argentine football, having played 145 times for his country.
And, to my mind, his most significant feat is his loyalty to Inter and his longevity as, at 38, he’s still the team’s inspirational captain, a leader on and off the pitch, not to mention his sterling work for his own Fundación PUPI.
Javier Adelmar Zanetti was born on August 10, 1973 in Dock Sud, a suburb of Buenos Aires.
In football-obsessed Argentina, it was not long before Zanetti fell in love with the Beautiful Game.
“Football has been my favourite sport since I was a little boy,” the softly-spoken Zanetti recalled.
“I was only two years old when my father gave me my first ball and I started to have this passion for the game. I spent my childhood going to school, studying, playing football and staying with my family.”
Despite his unbridled enthusiasm for football, Zanetti almost turned his back on the game as a teenager after being rejected by Independiente, his boyhood club.
He spent a year away from the pitch before reviving his career at Talleres, aged 18. His vibrant performances earned Zanetti a move to Banfield, one of the clubs in Buenos Aires.
It was at Banfield where Zanetti came to prominence, earning the nickname El Tractor for his speed and strength, attributes that persuaded Inter to swoop for the player.
Still an unknown quantity when he arrived in Italy together with Sebastian Rambert, Zanetti admitted that he had always dreamt of following in the footsteps of other Argentine stalwarts who made their mark in Serie A.
“Yes... my dream was to establish myself here,” Zanetti replied when asked if playing in the Serie A was his childhood dream.
“I believe that for us (Argentines), Italian football is the most important in the world and to have this possibility, this challenge at 21 years of age, it was very important for me.”
Ricardo Bochini, El Bocha, who spent his entire career with Independiente, was Zanetti’s idol.
“As a child, I admired a footballer who played in Argentina. His name was Ricardo Bochini,” he recalled.
“Since I was a fan of Independiente, I used to follow their games. Then, as I was growing up, I really liked Lothar Matthaeus.”
“And he also played for Inter,” I pointed out.
“Yes, and that’s why I arrived at Inter, it was also important for that reason,” Zanetti replied.
Emulating Matthaeus was Zanetti’s dream at the outset of his Inter career but 16 years on, Pupi, his original nickname, has eclipsed the achievements not only of the former Germany captain but also of every other Inter legend, including the late Giacinto Facchetti, with whom Zanetti had a special rapport.
Like all of the world’s leading players, Zanetti was linked with lucrative moves to Spain and England at the height of his career but he has stayed at Inter.
He admitted that he received offers from some of Europe’s heavyweights but his sense of belonging to Inter shone through.
“It’s true, I’ve been here for many years,” he reflected.
“I had the possibility to play for other big clubs but I always decided to stay here because I feel good here, my family is settled and, above all, I cherish this great family that is Inter.”
Not the boastful type, Zanetti refrained from naming the clubs who courted him in the past.
“Let’s just say that they were among the biggest, both in England and Spain,” he said.
Until 10 to 15 years ago, the Serie A was universally acclaimed as the strongest championship in the world but it has since been overtaken by Spain’s Primera Liga and the English Premier League.
Whereas in the eighties and nineties, the crème de le crème of world football flocked to the Serie A, the top clubs in England and Spain have been attracting the best players in the last two decades.
Nevertheless, Zanetti believes that the Serie A remains the toughest league in Europe.
“I’m of the opinion... I didn’t have the opportunity to play in the Premier League and Spain but I believe that the Italian Serie A is the most difficult championship,” Zanetti remarked.
“Do you think that top players are opting to go to England and Spain because there’s more money?” I asked.
“It could be a motivation but the Serie A remains an important and very competitive league,” he replied.
Of the 16 trophies he won with Inter, Zanetti singles out the 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League final as his highest point.
“The happiest moment of my career was certainly the night of Madrid because the Champions League is a very prestigious competition and, moreso, because Inter had been pursuing this target for a very long time,” Zanetti reminisced.
Memories of an ecstatic Zanetti lifting the Champions League trophy at the Santiago Bernabeu are etched in the minds and hearts of every Inter fan as that success ended the club’s 45-year-wait for Euro glory.
It also capped an extraordinary season for Inter who, under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, completed a treble of league, Italian cup and Champions League.
Eight years before, Zanetti had experienced the saddest day of his Inter career. He didn’t hesitate one second when asked about his biggest upset but he was clearly not willing to dwell long on that memory.
“Certainly, Maggio 5 (May 5) because we were close to a very important target and, in the last match, it ended how it ended,” he said.
Inter went into the final day of the 2001/2002 Serie A as leaders and favourites to win their first scudetto since 1989 but Juventus and Roma were still in the race.
A 4-2 defeat away to Lazio ruined Inter’s dream though as Juventus won 2-0 at Udinese to clinch the title.
Mourinho effect
Inter have been a force in Serie A for many years but it was under Mourinho that the Nerazzurri achieved unprecedented glory.
The outspoken Mourinho had a love-hate relationship with Italian football but all the controversies only served to strengthen his bond with the Inter players and fans.
Mourinho’s larger-than-life character and stellar reputation still hang over Appiano Gentile, so much so that Inter have been through four coaches since the Portuguese left to take charge at Real Madrid soon after the Nerazzurri’s Champions League triumph.
“It’s because with us, he (Mourinho) did very well,” Zanetti said of Mourinho’s legacy.
“We have remained attached to him for the person he is and what we did together.
“We will always have good memories of Mourinho.”
Of all the great players he’s encountered throughout his career, Zanetti singles out Messi, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo as the toughest opponents.
“I’ve had the privilege to face many great players,” he said.
“Messi, Kaka, they are players who, at any moment, can invent something, Cristiano Ronaldo also, and put the ball in the net.”
Invited to name his dream team, Zanetti replied: “No, there are too many, 11 is not enough. I will only say that I’ve also had the fortune to play with many great players... Ronaldo, Baggio, Zamorano, Simeone, Ibrahimovic, Batistuta, Djorkaeff, Ince...”
For all his success with Inter, Zanetti has been unable to scale the same heights with Argentina despite totalling a record 145 appearances in the famous albiceleste shirt.
Since Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, the South Americans have failed to live up to the hype despite going into major tournaments ranked among the favourites.
Their perennial underachievement has baffled the fans and critics as Argentina boast some extraordinary players, such as Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Diego Milito, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Zanetti, although the Inter captain was overlooked by Maradona for the 2010 World Cup.
“I believe we have always done our best to be able to reach important targets but, unfortunately, in football only one team wins,” Zanetti said.
“At times, we have encountered very strong national sides but we need to have faith that, in the future, Argentina can return to the top echelons of world football.”
Zanetti, who earned the last of his 145 caps at this year’s Copa America, has not featured for Argentina since the appointment of Alejandro Sabella.
“I think, at present, we need to respect the new project and the new coach,” he replied to a question if he was willing to extend his international career.
“It’s also important that we fully support these players who are doing these qualifiers. I think they are a valid group and we hope they will bring us joy.”
Zanetti may be in the home stretch of his illustrious career but his recent performances for Inter almost belie his age as the Argentine’s speed and stamina show no signs of fading.
Dedication is the main factor behind his enviable fitness.
“Professionalism is certainly very important... to live, day after day and with passion, this sport that has given me so much,” Zanetti remarked.
His devotion to his family – Zanetti is married to Paula and has a daughter and a son – has also helped him to remain fully focused on his football.
Zanetti’s typical day revolves around the two things he treasures most... family and football.
“After I take my children to school, I have breakfast with my wife and then I come for training,” Zanetti said.
“Normally, we have lunch here and in the afternoon, I go to pick up my children from school. After that, we spend time together as a family.”
His football feats aside, Zanetti has been at the forefront in promoting charity work. In 2001, Zanetti, with his wife Paula, created the Fundación PUPI in Argentina.
The aim of the organisation is to assist poor children by giving them educational opportunities, as well as taking care of the young ones’ nutritional requirements.
“Fondazione PUPI is very close to my heart because I’ve been working on this project for over 10 years,” he said.
“For us, it’s very important to give a helping hand to the children and persons in need.”
Back to on-field matters, Inter made a dismal start to the Serie A season.
Their poor form cost Gianpiero Gasperini his job as the former Genoa coach was sacked after only three Serie A games.
Under Claudio Ranieri, Gasperini’s successor, Inter have shown signs of improvement, qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League, but in the Serie A they are trailing in 16th place with only 11 points from 10 games.
Zanetti is hopeful that Inter will climb towards the top positions of the table by Christmas.
“At the beginning, we met some difficulties and we hope to come back,” Zanetti said.
“We expect that, between now and Christmas, we can gain a certain number of points that will enable us to improve our position in the table.”
Asked if he was optimistic about Inter’s chances of regaining their status as top-four challengers, Zanetti promptly replied: “We must return as protagonists, then at the end of the season we will evaluate the situation.”
Zanetti has not set a date for his retirement – a friend of his told me that he wants to play into his 40s – but has made no secret of his desire to keep working for Inter after he hangs up his boots.
“I wish to have a key role, to be very close to the squad,” he said.
“We will see what the future holds for me.”
Zanetti’s career in numbers
4 Zanetti’s shirt number at Inter.
4 Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup wins for Zanetti.
5 Serie A championships won with Inter.
16 trophies won by Zanetti since joining Inter from Argentine club Banfield in 1995.
17 Zanetti has played under 17 coaches in his 16 years at Inter so far. He’s the only player to have worked with so many coaches at the Serie A club.
21 goals for Zanetti in an Inter shirt.
27 August, 1995. Date of Zanetti’s Inter debut in a Serie A game against Vicenza at the San Siro. Inter won 1-0.
145 caps for Argentina. Zanetti holds the record for highest number of appearances for the Argentine national team.
768 appearances make Zanetti Inter’s most representative player. He eclipsed Giuseppe Bergomi’s record of 756 in Inter’s Serie A game against Novara on September 20, 2011.