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Line 14: Line 14:
| years1 = 1992–1993
| years1 = 1992–1993
| years2 = 1993–1995
| years2 = 1993–1995
| years3 = 1995–
| years3 = 1995–2014
| clubs1 = [[Talleres de Remedios de Escalada|Talleres RE]]
| clubs1 = [[Talleres de Remedios de Escalada|Talleres RE]]
| clubs2 = [[Club Atlético Banfield|Banfield]]
| clubs2 = [[Club Atlético Banfield|Banfield]]

Revision as of 20:38, 10 May 2014

Javier Zanetti
Zanetti in 2011
Personal information
Full name Javier Adelmar Zanetti
Date of birth (1973-08-10) 10 August 1973 (age 51)
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Right wingback / Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Internazionale
Number 4
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1993 Talleres RE 33 (1)
1993–1995 Banfield 66 (4)
1995–2014 Internazionale 857 (12)
International career‡
1996 Argentina U23 12 (0)
1994–2011 Argentina 145 (5)
Medal record
Representing  Argentina
Men's Football
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Team Competition
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 April 2014
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 July 2011

Javier Adelmar Zanetti (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈχaβ̞je̞ɾ saˈne̞ti]; born 10 August 1973) is an Argentine footballer who plays for the Italian Serie A club Internazionale. He has been playing for Inter since 1995, taking the captain's armband from 29 August 1999. Known for his versatility, he is adept on both the left and right wing, having played on both flanks as a fullback as well as a winger. He slots into several midfield positions with ease, particularly as a defensive or central midfielder. Internationally, he holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team and has played in the 1996 Olympic tournament and in two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002.

Known as "Pupi" in Argentina, Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires, picking up the nickname "El Tractor" (The Tractor) soon after his move to Italy where his strength, resilience, stamina, and his ability to run past opposing defenders when joining the attack from his right back position earned him reverence. More recently, he plays in the right midfield.[2] In the national team, he is deployed as a right back but is able to switch between defense and attack easily.

Zanetti has won five Serie A titles with Inter, having earned the nickname "Il Capitano" (The Captain) among the fans and media since taking captaincy at Inter. As of the 2011–12 season, he is the only non-Italian player to captain a Serie A team. He holds the record for the highest all-time appearances by a non-Italian born player for an Italian club and his 851 official matches for the club put him first in Inter's all-time appearances list. Zanetti, who plans to retire with Inter and continue to work with the club thereafter, is also noted for his charity work, running a foundation to benefit disadvantaged children in Argentina. He has been named an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages project in Argentina by FIFA, and in 2005, he received the Ambrogino d'Oro award from the Milan townhall for his social initiative. Zanetti is also a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.

The 2010 UEFA Champions League Final on 22 May 2010 was Zanetti's 700th game with Inter, and the team's victory on the night made Zanetti the only captain to win a treble with an Italian club.

Early life

Javier Adelmar Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires to Violeta Bonnazola and grew up in the harbour area in the Dock Sud district with his parents of Italian origin. He combined schooling and working commitments, helping his bricklayer father in masonry[3] alongside delivering milk, and working in his cousin's grocery store without neglecting his passion for football. He began playing football on a field in the city suburbs, maintaining the pitch in his spare time.

Club career

Talleres RE

Zanetti was rejected by the youth division of Independiente for being too slight of build.[3] He then signed for Talleres de Remedios de Escalada, then a second division team. With them, he played 33 matches and scored one goal in his only season, before moving in 1993 to the First Division club Banfield.

Banfield

A 20-year-old Zanetti debuted for Banfield on 12 September 1993 in a home match against River Plate. He scored his first goal 17 days later against Newell's Old Boys in a match that ended 1–1. His outstanding performances for Banfield gained popularity from El Taladro fans and also earned him a call-up from the national team. First division giants River Plate and Boca Juniors displayed interest but Zanetti decided to stay on for another year at the club. In 1995, along with fellow Argentine Sebastián Rambert, he transferred to Italy's Inter Milan, becoming team owner Massimo Moratti's first-ever purchase.

Inter

Zanetti during training

Zanetti made his debut for Inter on 27 August 1995 against Vicenza in Milan. Throughout his stay with the club, he has won 16 trophies, 15 of which came under his captaincy : the UEFA Cup in 1998 – scoring the second goal in the final with a shot from outside the penalty area – the 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011 Coppa Italia, the 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 Supercoppa Italiana, the 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009–10 Scudetti and the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. In 2010, Zanetti became the first player to captain an Italian club to a treble of the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Champions League.

On 29 August 1999, he was rewarded with the club captaincy, taking over from legendary defender Giuseppe Bergomi. It was later revealed that Zanetti was on the verge of signing for Real Madrid before being handed the captain's armband.[4]

Being a part of the squad for the last 13 seasons and with over 700 appearances, he is currently the team's longest-tenured player, and the first overall surpassing Bergomi (758) in the all-time list of most capped Inter players. He celebrated his 600th match for Inter in style with a 1–0 win over newly promoted Lecce. Minutes before the match, he was presented with a commemorative plate by former vice-captain Iván Córdoba to mark the special occasion.[5]

After the arrival of Maicon at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Zanetti was moved from the right back position into midfield.[2] He ended a four-year goal drought when he scored on 5 November 2006[6] at a home match against Ascoli, having previously scored on 6 November 2002 at an away match against Empoli. On 27 September 2006, against Bayern Munich, Zanetti played his 500th professional match for Inter[7] and on 22 November 2006, he appeared in his 100th UEFA match against Sporting Clube de Portugal.[8] Zanetti went on an incredible twelve years without being sent off in a match. The first time he was sent off in his career was on 17 February 1999 in a Coppa Italia match against Parma, but he broke his streak when he was sent off in a Serie A match against Udinese on 3 December 2011. These are the only two times he has been sent off during his entire career at Inter.

At Inter, Zanetti has had 19 different coaches (list), making him the only player to have played under this many coaches. His current contract with Inter runs until 2014 after he extended his contract at the summer of 2013.[9] The captain has pledged his future to the Nerazzurri, hoping to have a future behind the desk at the club once he retires from playing. "Inter means a lot to me," Zanetti said.

It was the first team to open the doors of European football. I was very young when I came here and I think not many teams could have had so much faith and patience with a boy in his early 20s from the very first day like Inter did with me. I will always be grateful for that. For some reason I have always felt at home here at Inter and this is why I have never thought of leaving.

[10]

Zanetti playing for Inter in 2009

Though Zanetti is more often classified as a defender, he played mostly in midfield during the first half of the 2008–09 season. For the last several weeks of October 2008, with Portuguese coach José Mourinho facing a midfield crisis due to injuries to key midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Sulley Muntari, he was moved again to the midfield for the matches against Genoa and Fiorentina. During that period, Mourinho played him in the midfield due to the presence of Maicon, Lúcio, Walter Samuel, and Cristian Chivu in the back four.

The 2009–10 season began well for Zanetti and Inter, especially after a 4–0 thrashing of crosstown rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. In the match against Genoa on 17 October, he started off the counterattack that led to Inter's second goal after dispossessing a Genoa player.[11] Inter became the first team of the season to win by a five-goal margin. On 24 October, he reached Giacinto Facchetti's record of 476 Serie A appearances when he turned out for the match against Catania, which ended in a 2–1 win for the Nerazzurri. He also currently holds a club record of 149 consecutive appearances.[12]

Inter won the 2010 Champions League Final 2–0 against Bayern Munich on 22 May 2010. This was Zanetti's 700th appearance for Inter.

On 20 October 2010, at 37 years and 71 days, Zanetti became the oldest player to score in the Champions League when he netted in the opening minute of Inter's 4–3 group stage win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Giuseppe Meazza.[13] This was only his second ever Champions League goal; his first came in December 1998 in a match in a 2–0 win against Sturm Graz.

Zanetti shaking hands with Sergei Ignashevich before a Champions League match against CSKA Moscow in 2012

On 19 January 2011, Zanetti overtook Inter legend Giuseppe Bergomi in Serie A appearances, his 520th match in Serie A, all for Inter. On 11 May 2011, Zanetti made his 1000th appearance as a professional footballer playing for Inter against Roma in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. On 20 September 2011, Javier Zanetti made the all-time appearance record in a Serie A clash against Novara. The Argentine defender replaced Giuseppe Bergomi in the Inter record books upon his appearance against Novara.

On 10 March 2013, Zanetti played in his 600th Serie A match for Inter, a 1–0 loss to Bologna at the Giuseppe Meazza.[14]

On 28 April 2013, Zanetti ruptured his Achilles tendon during a league match against Palermo, sparking fears that he might never play again. However, on 9 November 2013, Zanetti made his return to action at the age of 40 during a match against Livorno at the Giuseppe Meazza.[15]

On 29 April 2014, Inter's president Erick Thohir announced that Zanetti would retire at the end of the 2013–14 season, and become a club director.[16]

International career

Zanetti debuted for Argentina on 16 November 1994 against Chile under coach Daniel Passarella. He has since represented his country at the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. He was also part of the team that won the silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA.

In the 1998 World Cup run, he neatly finished off a Juan Sebastián Verón free kick in the round of 16 match against England making the score 2–2. Argentina went on to win 4–3 on penalties but lost the quarter-final match to the Netherlands.

Zanetti played for Marcelo Bielsa's Argentine national team in the 2002 World Cup. However, they finished 3rd in their group, despite winning the opening match.

Zanetti celebrated his 100th cap by helping Argentina win their 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final over Mexico on 26 June 2005, in which he won the Man of the Match award.[17]

After having been part of the team during the qualification rounds, Zanetti was not called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by coach José Pekerman in a controversial decision.[18] Instead, Lionel Scaloni was given a surprise selection, a move that bewildered many fans and media.

With new coach Alfio Basile, Zanetti was called for a friendly match against France on 7 February 2007. He played brilliantly and helped Javier Saviola to score the only goal of the game that gave Argentina the first victory under Basile's second management.[19] That same year, Zanetti was vice-captain of the Argentine Squad for the Copa América 2007, having previously appeared in the 1995, 1999 and the 2004 editions of the tournament.

Zanetti during the friendly match against Portugal on 9 February 2011

In April 2007, Zanetti was presented with the National Giuseppe Prisco Award.[20] After the retirement of Roberto Ayala, Zanetti was given the captain's armband. In a World Cup qualification match against Bolivia on 17 November 2007, he became the most capped player ever for Argentina.[21]

Zanetti remained a regular under new coach Diego Maradona, although defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano took over as captain at Maradona's request.[22] Despite winning the Champions League at club level, Zanetti and his Inter team-mate Esteban Cambiasso were not included in the Argentina squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This move was heavily criticised by football pundits from both South America and Europe. Instead 30-year old Ariel Garcé, who had been called up just twice in the previous five years,[23] received a shocking selection, but ultimately did not play a single minute in any World Cup match. Zanetti's place in the starting line up was taken by Jonás Gutiérrez, who had spent the previous season playing on the wing for Newcastle United in England's second-tier Football League Championship.[24]

On 20 August 2010 Argentina national team coach Sergio Batista recalled Javier Zanetti to the squad for a friendly against Spain played on 7 September 2010 at the River Plate Monumental Stadium, where he and fellow legend Gabriel Batistuta were honored by the Argentine Football Association for their outstanding careers with more than 48,000 people giving them a standing ovation.[25] He was called again for the friendly against Japan in Saitama of October 2010 but withdrew at the last minute due to injury.[26]

He was a member of Argentina's squad for the 2011 Copa América, starting in all four of the team's matches.

International goals and caps

Argentina's goal tally first.

Career statistics

Club

As of 26 April 2014.
Team Season League Cup Continental1 Other2 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Talleres RE 1992–93 33 1 — — — 33 1
Total 33 1 — — — 33 1
Banfield 1993–94 37 1 — — — 37 1
1994–95 29 3 — — — 29 3
Total 66 4 — — — 66 4
Internazionale 1995–96 32 2 5 0 2 0 — 39 2
1996–97 33 3 5 1 12 0 — 50 4
1997–98 28 0 4 0 9 2 — 41 2
1998–99 34 3 5 0 9 1 2 0 50 4
1999–00 34 1 8 1 — 1 0 43 2
2000–01 29 0 1 0 4 0 — 34 0
2001–02 33 0 1 1 10 1 — 44 2
2002–03 34 1 1 0 18 0 — 53 1
2003–04 34 0 5 0 12 0 — 51 0
2004–05 35 0 3 0 11 0 — 49 0
2005–06 25 0 5 0 8 0 1 0 39 0
2006–07 37 1 4 0 8 0 1 0 50 1
2007–08 38 1 4 0 8 0 1 0 51 1
2008–09 38 0 4 0 8 0 1 0 51 0
2009–10 37 0 4 0 13 0 1 0 55 0
2010–11 35 0 5 0 8 1 4 1 52 2
2011–12 34 0 2 0 8 0 1 0 45 0
2012–13 33 0 4 0 11 0 — 48 0
2013–14 10 0 1 0 — — 11 0
Total 613 12 71 3 159 5 13 1 856 21
Career Total 712 17 71 3 159 5 13 1 955 26

1Continental competitions include the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup
2Other tournaments include the Serie A play-off, Supercoppa Italiana, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup

International

Javier Zanetti and Cristiano Ronaldo during a friendly match on 9 February 2011

[27][28]

Argentina national team
Year Apps Goals
1994 3 0
1995 15 1
1996 6 0
1997 4 0
1998 9 2
1999 11 0
2000 7 0
2001 9 0
2002 6 0
2003 8 1
2004 14 1
2005 10 0
2006 0 0
2007 15 0
2008 11 0
2009 8 0
2010 2 0
2011 7 0
Total 145 5

Competition statistics

Honours

Inter
Argentina
Individual

Style of play

Zanetti's qualities have earned him respect on and off the field. He has a strong commitment to physical training, even when on holiday, and on his wedding day.[3] He is known for his consistency, remaining in form during his late 30s, and his ability to keep calm during heated moments on the pitch.[32]

Personal life

File:JAVIER ZANETTI - zona San Siro - Milano - Italy.JPG
Graffito of Zanetti near the San Siro

Zanetti has had the same haircut, combed over with tap water, since he was at school. He feels that it gives him a sense of consistency.[3]

On 23 December 1999, Javier Zanetti and Paula De la Fuente were married in Argentina, after seven years of dating. They met when he was nineteen and she was fourteen. They live near Lake Como, and they also own a restaurant called "El Gaucho" in Milano in the Navigli district, a popular and touristic area. Today, Paula Zanetti, daughter of a university teacher, works as a photographer. On 11 June 2005, she gave birth to a baby girl, Sol Zanetti. Javier Zanetti said, "I'm very happy about this baby girl who has come into my life. It was a beautiful experience with my wife. My daughter will have all the happiness she deserves." Zanetti also has two sons Ignacio who was born in 2008 and Tomas who was born on 9 May 2012.

Zanetti, a devout Catholic, is a close friend of Dutch footballer Wesley Sneijder, whom he inspired to convert to Catholicism.[33] Upon the 2013 election of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires as Pope Francis, Zanetti's ecstasy at the outcome was translated.

I must admit that [what] I feel at this moment is especially a thrill for all of us Argentines. [I] do not know him personally, but it is a Pope who has lived in Buenos Aires, very humble and always always close to our people. Faith is so important in the world and us we are all close. I had the good fortune to meet Pope Ratzinger and now I expect to have the 'opportunity to meet the new national pope, it would be a great thrill for me and my whole family. [I] wish him all the best and again, for all of us as people of Argentina [it] is a great feeling.[34]

Zanetti's elder brother Sergio is a former football defender. Javier Zanetti is not related to Cristiano Zanetti, an Italian who played alongside him for five seasons at Inter.

In 2007, Zanetti collaborated with Italian singer Mina in a Spanish cover of the song "Parole parole", found in the album Todavía. In May 2012, Zanetti, along with teammate Angelo Palombo, appeared on the TV show Indonesian Idol, and gave a live rendition of Eros Ramazzotti's "Più bella cosa".[35]

Charity work

Zanetti is FIFA ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages project in Argentina,[36] and has declared his support for the Mexican Zapatista rebels.[37]

Fundación PUPI

Zanetti has also shown social conscience when in response to Argentina's economic crisis of 2001, which threw millions of people into poverty, Zanetti, with his wife Paula, created the Fundación PUPI[38] in Argentina for the social integration of poor children. The aim of the organization is to help children who were left impoverished by the country's economic crisis by giving them educational opportunities, as well as taking care of their nutritional requirements. He explained:

When I look back to my childhood, many concrete scenes come to my mind, good ones and bad ones. I had a difficult childhood, and even though I don't live in my country at present, I'm well aware of what's going on there and the devastating effect it's having on our poorest children. I've always believed that our public actions need to take account of our social responsibility,

Leoni di Potrero

Zanetti, along with his compatriot and current teammate at Inter Esteban Cambiasso, founded this charity association to help coach young children with social isolation problems and motor coordination difficulties. Zanetti said that "this spirit lies at the base of all of Inter's initiatives for youngsters:"[39]

There must always be values at the heart of sport, and this is what we have to teach children.

Sponsorships

References

  1. ^ "Javier Adelmar Zanetti". goal.com. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  2. ^ a b "tactical Formations". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d Bandini, Paolo (7 May 2014). "Not a hair out of place as Javier Zanetti hangs up his boots at Internazionale". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. ^ "How Javier Zanetti turned down Real Madrid". inside World Soccer. 13 November 2013.
  5. ^ Inter and Zanetti: 600 times together
  6. ^ "Match Formations". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
  7. ^ "Zanetti completes 500 matches with Inter".
  8. ^ "tactical Formations". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
  9. ^ "Javier Zanetti: Inter Milan veteran signs new one-year deal". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  10. ^ "No place like home". UEFA. 17 November 2006. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  11. ^ Stanković stunner as Inter cruise
  12. ^ "South American Dispatch: Javier Zanetti Tempted Home From Italy By Banfield". goal.com. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  13. ^ "Inter Milan 4 Tottenham 3". BBC Sport. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  14. ^ "Zanetti: 'My 600th Inter game'". Football Italia. 10 March 2013.
  15. ^ "40 year-old Javier Zanetti returns to action after six-month absence". inside World Soccer. 10 November 2013.
  16. ^ "Zanetti to retire this summer and become Inter director - Thohir". Goal.com. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Centurion Zanetti celebrates in style". FIFA. 26 June 2005. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
  18. ^ "World Cup snub for Zanetti". Skysports.com. 15 May 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  19. ^ "Saviola sinks Les Bleus in Paris" – Yahoo sports.
  20. ^ "Premio Prisco: i vincitori della V edizione" Template:It icon
  21. ^ "No stopping record-breaker Zanetti" – UEFA.
  22. ^ Mascherano accepts captaincy offer – FIFA
  23. ^ Ariel Garce matches
  24. ^ [1]
  25. ^ Argentina: Batistuta and Zanetti, winning at home for their respective records | Soccer News -Soccer Team – Soccer player | Football News @ Goaledor.Com
  26. ^ Pupi no, ¿y Milito?
  27. ^ Zanetti.html Javier Zanetti at National-Football-Teams.com
  28. ^ Javier Adelmar Zanetti – International Appearances
  29. ^ Legaseriea.it – Javier Zanetti's Serie A statistics
  30. ^ "Pelé names his top 100 players". Skysports.com. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2007.
  31. ^ http://www.fifpro.org/news/news_details/1358 FIFA team of the Year 2010
  32. ^ Garganese, Carlo (6 May 2014). "The legend with no enemies: Is Javier Zanetti the most respected footballer ever?". Goal.com. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  33. ^ Dutch soccer player who scored winning goal against Brazil is Catholic convert :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
  34. ^ "Inter happy Pope prays with Francesco". www.inter.it. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  35. ^ "Watch Javier Zanetti singing on Indonesian Idol". inside World Soccer. 27 May 2012.
  36. ^ "J.ZANETTI NEW FIFA AMBASSADOR FOR SOS". Inter.it. 4 May 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
  37. ^ "Zapatista rebels woo Inter Milan". BBC News. 11 May 2005. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  38. ^ Fundación PUPI
  39. ^ "Cambiasso, Zanetti: "Only Inter counts"". Inter.it. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
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