Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Date of Birth: August 10, 1973.
Position: Defender
Javier Zanetti - the story of Inter Milan legend.
Javier was born into an ordinary working-class family on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. From early childhood, he began to combine not only football and study, but also with a part-time job in a grocery store, as well as helping his father, who was a bricklayer. 1982 was the beginning of a football career for young Zanetti. The first youth club was "Independiente", for which the Argentine played until 1989. But when the player was 16 years old, he realized that it would be very difficult to get into the base of this team, so the player signed a contract with a less famous club - "Talleres".
Playing for “Talleres”, the young player began to show a good game already in the first season, having played 33 games for the Argentine club, scoring in one of them his first goal at the professional level. The team finished 14th in the second division of the Argentine Championship. But the young player did not stay in this division, immediately after the end of the championship he signed a contract with the Banfield club, which at that time won the right to play in the First Division of the Argentine Championship.
On September 12, 1993, Javier makes his debut for the new team against River Plate. The footballer scored his first goal for “Banfield” against the “Newells Old Boys” in the Argentine championship match. In the first season, “Banfield” took 9th place, and the defender becomes one of the favorites of local fans. In the second season, the young footballer continued to show good football, but could not help the team repeat last year's success, “Banfield” took only 13th place.
In 1995, a young and promising player was invited by the Milan “Inter”. On August 27, the Argentine made his debut for the new team in the match against Vicenza. On December 3, 1995, the genius scored his first goal for Inter in the gates of Cremonese. From the very first season, Javier became the main defender of the Milan team. Having played for many years as a midfielder, with the arrival of more eminent stars in the club, the footballer began to enter the position of left-back.
In 1999 Javier Zanetti becomes the captain of “Internazionale”, took the captain's armband from the legend of the Milan club - Giuseppe Bergomi. On April 16, 2010, the legendary athlete played his 500th match for the Milan club. Towards the end of his sports career, the footballer more and more wanted to stay and end his football life in this particular club. Having played his 600th match in 2013, Javier said that he would definitely hang his boots on a nail speaking for Inter. In the summer of 2013, the captain extended the contract with Inter for another year. On May 10, 2014, the star player played his last match with a unique captain's armband - it bore the names of all the players with whom he entered the field wearing an Inter jersey.
As part of Milan “Inter”, the footballer during his career managed to win such awards as the Uefa Cup, 4 Italian Cups, 4 Italian Super Cups, 5 times became the champion of Italy. Also in 2010, Zanetti, together with “Inter” won the Champions League and the Club World Championship. In total for “Internazionale” in Serie A, the footballer played 615 matches, in which he scored 12 times. In the Champions League, the athlete played 105 games and scored 2 goals.
In the Argentine national team, the defender began playing at 21. On November 24, 1994, he made his debut in the game against Chile. In total, playing for the national team until 2011, the footballer played 143 matches, scoring 5 goals in them.
Personal Life of Javier Zanetti
Javier is married to Paula Zanetti and the couple has three children.
In Milan “Inter” the fourth number was taken out of circulation, under which the Argentinean footballer played. He is forever assigned to Javier Zanetti.
The legendary captain of Inter, one of the symbols of football loyalty, recently retired from his sports career and became vice president of the Nerazzurri, is celebrating his birthday today. Socker.ru congratulates Javier Zanetti by studying the alphabet of his life.
Atletico Talleres. Zanetti spent seven years in the Independiente training system, but failed to gain a foothold in the youth team, so he left for club of the second division "Talleres", where he began his professional career, gaining a foothold in the main squad already in the debut season.
Banfield. Atlético Talleres finished 14th in the second division, while Banfield were promoted and brought a young defender with them to the elite. Zanetti quickly won the favor of Dreley fans, especially after refusing to move to River Plate or Boca Juniors, who were inviting Javier to join him. Zanetti received his first call to the Argentina national team from Banfield, for which he managed to hold 15 meetings before leaving for Europe.
Vice President. The high post that Zanetti received immediately after the end of his career, for the thousandth time underlines its incredible significance in the history of Inter. Moreover, rumors that Javier would become vice-president of the Nerazzurri appeared a couple of years before he sat down in the chair of one of the leaders of the Milan club. It's just that the Argentine did not want to hang the boots on a nail.
Goals. Zanetti has scored only 31 goals in his amazing career... The hero himself singles out two goals, which are separated by a couple of months. In the 1997/1998 UEFA Cup final, where Inter beat Lazio 3-0, Javier scored on a par with Ronaldo and his good friend Zamorano, and at the 1998 World Cup he scored an important goal in a memorable encounter with England.
Dock Sud. Javier spent his childhood in the industrial area of Avalyaneda, one of the satellites of the greater Buenos Aires. Life at Dock Sud (South Docks) was not sugar, the family struggled with poverty, so Zanetti was accustomed to work from a young age. Studying at school had to be combined with the help of a bricklayer father at a construction site and a cousin in a grocery store. In addition, Javier carried milk, for this he had to get up at dawn - at 4 o'clock in the morning.
Wife. Javier met his future wife Paulo when he was 18 and she was 14... He is a young footballer of "Talleres", she is an aspiring basketball player in the same club. Since then, together, and even temporary separation did not become an obstacle: Zanetti left for Italy, and his love could not immediately follow him, since she still went to school. On December 23, 1999, they played a wedding, since then on the 23rd of every month Javier gives or sends his wife a bouquet of flowers, wherever he himself is on that day. The couple have three children - daughter Sol, sons Ignacio and Tomas, and they are truly happy in marriage.
Inter. The main club in Zanetti's career. 19 years as a player, 858 matches, 16 trophies, 47 Milan derbies, many records. Direct speech: "Inter is skill and recklessness, Inter is suffering, Inter is pain, Inter is ecstasy."
Work culture. Once Javier was asked what the secret of his athletic youth and enduring motivation... He answered briefly, but succinctly: "Work culture, passion and love for the profession - that's what we stand for!" And after all, seemingly obvious truths he emphasized, but how accurately this "holy trinity" of values characterizes Zanetti the football player.
Champions League. Javier won the main victory with Inter in 2010 when the Nerazzurri, under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, became the strongest club in the Old World, winning the Champions League. “I often remember that great evening. I remember crying when the referee announced the added two minutes. An incredibly emotional moment! ”- Zanetti does not hide his feelings.
Mama. In 2011, Inter won the Italian Cup final against Palermo, Javier received a message from his mother: “Congratulations, son! I am very proud of you. I love you". The trophy party ended late Zanetti decided to call mom back the next day, but it was too late: Violetta died in her sleep.
Failure. Javier once admitted that he really would like to replay last round match with Lazio in the 2001/2002 season... It was enough for Inter to score three points in a duel with the Eagles to win the Scudetto for the first time in 14 years, but the Nerazzurri lost 2: 4, leading the score twice. As a result, Juventus came to the finish line first, while Roma dropped the Milanese to the third line. It was a tragedy.
Father. Javier often recalls his father's challenge: “Do you really want to be a footballer? Then go and try! " Rodolfo Zanetti worked as a bricklayer from early morning until late at night, but did not deprive his son of attention and care. When the family did not have the money to buy boots for Xavi, dad donated sleep and sewed football shoes for his son himself.
Pupi. Commentators in Argentina have dubbed Javier the Tractor because of his powerful legs and gentle but unwavering assertiveness. And here the partners at Banfield called Zanetti simply - Pupi... There is no secret meaning in this nickname, just an easy-to-pronounce set of morphemes, but many years later, when Javier and his wife created the P.U.P.I. foundation, which takes care of poor children in Argentina, the youthful nickname was filled with deep meaning.
Homeland. Javier admits that he is comfortable in Milan, he feels Italian and wants his children to grow up in this beautiful city, but remembers his roots perfectly... Zanetti is the record holder of the Argentinean national team for the number of meetings held, and his charitable foundation "P.U.P.I." since 2001 has taken care of tens of thousands of children throughout the Silver Land.
Sergio. Javier's older brother was also a football player. We can say that Zanetti followed in his footsteps, it was Sergio who prevented Pupi from giving up football at an early age, constantly encouraging and supporting him... Sergio has almost half a thousand meetings in the top division of the Argentine championship, since 2006 he has been coaching youths in various Italian clubs, and in 2011 the Zanetti brothers finally reunited at Inter, where Javier's brother was entrusted with one of the younger teams age group.
Tardelli. According to Zanetti, Marco Tardelli - worst coach of his career... The Italian specialist coached Inter in the 2000/2001 season and Javier speaks of him without much respect: “The hardest season of my career was under Tardelli. Disgusting atmosphere in the dressing room, defeat to Milan 0: 6 ... Marco was a coach with whom I worked and talked without any pleasure. "
Station wagon. A football player with whom it is a pleasure to work. Javier will do what is ordered, will come out to play in any position, and you can always rely on him. Whether on the defensive, in the middle line, or even offensively- this happened sporadically at Inter. A true universal soldier!
Facchetti. Javier called Giacinto "the best of people", repeatedly emphasized with what pride he wears the captain's armband in "Inter", having the right to consider himself the successor of the great Facchetti, whose records Zanetti broke after the death of the legendary "Nerazzurri".
Hodgson. In the personal rating of coaches, Mourinho and Leonardo earned 10 points each, Hector Cooper and Luigi Simoni earned 9 points each, while Mircea Lucescu and Roy Hodgson earned 8 points each. By the way, it was under the English mentor that Zanetti seriously expanded his football horizons, trying several new positions. A few years ago, Hodgson suggested that Javier could break Stanley Matthews' record and could easily play high-level football until the age of 49.
Purposefulness. Zanetti is a fan of his craft. He ran cross-country on his wedding day and, according to Paula, always went to training a couple of hours after the children were born. Or such an episode: Javier went with his wife to rest in Tunisia and was furious when he learned that Paula did not take care of the hotel's gym. And he has a training program for vacation, you have to do it! There was a way out: a backpack with heavy books and dumbbells on the back of his wife, his beloved on his neck, and with all this pleasure to squat, squat and squat.
"Four". Fourth the number under which Javier played for Inter is withdrawn from circulation... Zanetti thanked the management of the club and the fans, saying that this shirt and the gesture associated with it really mean a lot to him.
Shirea. The Gaetano Shirea Prize is awarded to footballers from the Italian championship who have passed the 30-year mark and whose career can be considered exemplary. This refers not only to achievement in football, but also to a commitment to fair play and dignified behavior on and off the pitch. Naturally, Javier won this award in 2010.
Generosity. Argentina was hit by a crisis in 2001, and Javier and Paula decided they could make many people's lives better using their financial position and connections.
Hector Cooper. The arrival of a compatriot coach was a key moment for Zanetti, because at the beginning of the century, things were not going well for Inter, the mentors changed endlessly, and Javier, against the backdrop of all these troubles, almost decided to move to Real Madrid. And only Cooper managed to dissuade him.
I AM. It is impossible to be a great leader and a great captain without a set of the right human qualities and the ability to manage your own "I". Zanetti never put his interests above the team's interests, which is why he became a legend. respected far beyond the black and blue Inter fan community. Happy birthday, Pupi!
Javier Zanetti is a footballer from Argentina who played as a defender and midfielder. Included in the list of the 100 best football players according to FIFA. Now he is the vice-president of the Internationale club. He began his professional football career in Argentina, first at the Taglières club and then at Banfield. Between 1995 and 2014, he played for the Italian club Internazionale (Milan), where he was captain since 2001. From 1994 to 2011, Javier Zanetti was a regular key player of the Argentina national team, for which he played 143 matches and scored 5 goals.
Biography
Javier Zanetti was born on August 10, 1973 in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Grew up and raised in an Argentine working class family with Italian roots. His father, Rodolfo, was a bricklayer, and his mother, Violetta Bonnazola, worked as a cleaner. Javier started playing football on a field in the suburbs of the city.
Since 1982, the guy played in the youth club "Independiente", in which he was later rejected, saying that there was not enough physical strength for productive work. After the refusal, the young man focused on his studies at school, and in his free time he worked as an assistant to his father in the stone workshop. Zanetti's biography also notes that he worked as a milk delivery man and a grocery store clerk. In 1991, the guy's ambitions won, and he was admitted to the youth team "Talleres".
In 1995, Javier Zanetti signed a contract with Italian Inter. At the same time, his compatriot Sebastian Rambert joined the snakes. These transfers were the first in the history of Internazionale's new owner Massimo Moratti. And if the story of Sebastian Rambert in Serie A ended after half a season (the player did not play a single match), then Javier Zanetti was destined to become one of the greatest football players in the stadium
As part of the "Serpents" he made his debut on August 27, 1995 in a home match against Vicenza. In the debut season of Serie A, the Argentine became a key player in the first team. He took part in 32 matches and scored two goals, which fell to the share of the club "Cremonese".
Here he quickly gained prestige among teammates, and also dearly fell in love with loyal fans. The fans gave him the nickname El Tractor , because Zanetti played in an aggressive style, preventing the opponent from squeezing into his penalty area.
Argentina and Inter Italian legend: defender Javier Zanetti
The Argentine lateral has a record number of matches played in the entire history of Internazionale. As part of the "black-blue" played 1114 games, of which 858 are considered official (and are a record). This indicator is a derivative of several more records:
- the first foreign player to have the most Serie A matches (615),
- the most titled football player of Inter (16 trophies),
- the Inter player with the most Champions League matches (105).
The list does not end there. In the career of Javier Zanetti, such exotic records are distinguished, for example, as the player who played the most matches in the Champions League as the team captain (82). Also the Argentinean is who managed to print the gate at the Club World Cup (scored a goal at the age of 37 years and 123 days).
Javier Zanetti is the fourth most loyal player in Serie A, behind masters such as (647), Gianluigi Buffon (629) and (619). It is worth noting that the legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon still has a chance to become the first on this list.
Achievements with Inter
Javier Zanetti has won 16 trophies with the Black and Blues: five Scudettes, four Copa Italia, four Supercoppa Italia, one UEFA Cup, one Champions League Cup and one FIFA World Cup.
International achievements
As part of the Argentine national team, Zanetti played in 143 matches, and this figure is also a record. Together with the blue and white, he reached the America's Cup final in 2004 and 2007 and the Confederations Cup final in 1995 and 2005. Here Zanetti won the silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the gold medalist at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.
Javier Zanetti, a living legend of Italian Inter, has retired from his football career. A unique achievement in terms of the number of matches played for the Milan club, the name of the universal Argentine defender has forever been written down in history. We will tell you about interesting facts from the biography of Zanetti in this article.
The famous footballer was born on August 10, 1973 in the capital of Argentina - Buenos Aires. As a child, his football career was in real jeopardy due to anthropometric data. Javier was very puny, which is why he did not fit the Independiente - the team for which he supported. But the love for the game of millions was stronger, so the young Zanetti went to the more modest club "Talleres" from the second league, for which he made his debut at the age of 19.
Having played 33 games out of 42 in the season, the talented left-back performed well and moved to Banfield, which just went on to be promoted to the top division of Argentina. After spending two seasons at Banfield, Javier Zanetti was noticed by representatives of the best Argentine clubs (Boca Juniors, River Plate, etc.). In addition, already in 1994, he was first called up to the national team of his country.
Despite other offers, Javier Zanetti made his fateful choice in 1995 and moved to Inter Milan. In Italy, he spent 18 full seasons for the Nerradzuri. And since 1999 he has been the permanent captain of the team.
In all seasons, Zanetti played with 18 different coaches and with all of them he was unconditionally considered the main player and leader of the team. The most successful during this time were Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho. Under the Italian leadership, Inter won 3 championships, 2 Cups and 2 Italian Super Cups, but in Europe it was a complete disaster. Mourinho changed the situation, because with the Portuguese Zanetti he raised the National Cup, one Super Cup, won two championships and, most importantly, the Champions League Cup 2009-2010.
Throughout his career, Javier Zanetti has won 16 trophies at various levels. Of course, the Champions League Cup stands apart, but all the other trophies only emphasize the level of the Argentine and the Milan club itself. In total, the Argentinean defender played 852 matches for Inter and, of course, broke the record for the longest performances at the club. He is also considered the champion among foreign players in the number of matches played in Serie A.
In the Argentina national team, the left-back became the record holder for the number of matches (145 matches), but he failed to achieve something serious. Unfortunately, at the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, we will not see the veteran on the field, but, of course, he will support the main team of his country.
In his personal life, Javier Zanetti serves as a model example for others. He is very religious, loves his wife Paulo (with whom he has three children), and he also leads a healthy lifestyle. Photo of Javier Zanetti with his wife and children.
Javier Zanetti with his wife and children.After retiring, Inter's honorary president, Massimo Morata, invited the dedicated footballer to become the club's vice president. He believes that this position will correspond to the merits of the long-term team captain. By the way, during the presidency of Massimo Morata, his first transfer was just Javier Zanetti, and now they have very friendly relations.
The farewell match at Giuseppe Meazza turned out to be very touching for Javier. He came on as a substitute and immediately put on a special captain's armband, which bore all the names of the players with whom he had to play during his career at Inter. After the match, he was seen off for a long time with applause, which he earned for his hard work, professional approach to business and dedication to the Milan club.