Javier Zanetti

Javier Adelmar Zanetti (born 10 August 1973 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentina association football who currently plays as a defender (association football) for Italy Serie A club F.C. Internazionale Milano, of which Javier Zanetti has been part since 1995 in football (soccer) and the captain (football) since 1999. Javier Zanetti is the most cap (football) player in the history of the Argentina national football team and has played in the Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics and in two FIFA World Cup, in 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Known as "Pupi" in Argentina, Zanetti was nicknamed "Il Trattore" (The Tractor) after moving to Italy because of Javier Zanetti strength, resilience, stamina, and Javier Zanetti ability to run past opposing defenders when joining the attack from Javier Zanetti Defender (football) position. More recently, Javier Zanetti plays in the right midfield. Javier Zanetti ended a 4-year goal drought when Javier Zanetti scored on 5 November 2006. In the national team, Javier Zanetti is deployed as a right back but is able to switch between defense and attack easily.

Zanetti has won four Serie A titles with Inter, and since becoming their captain, Javier Zanetti is also referred to by team supporters and media as "Il Capitano" (The Captain). Javier Zanetti has appeared in more than 600 official matches for the club and over 450 Serie A matches which is the highest all-time total among non-Italian born players.

Zanetti, who plans to retire with Inter and continue to work with the club thereafter, is also notable for Javier Zanetti charitable work, running a foundation to benefit disadvantaged children in Argentina. Javier Zanetti has been named an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages project in Argentina by FIFA, and in 2005, Javier Zanetti received the Ambrogino d'Oro award from the Milan townhall for Javier Zanetti social initiative.

Early life

Javier Adelmar Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires and grew up in the harbour area in the Dock Sud district. Javier Zanetti combined scholastic and working commitments, helping Javier Zanetti bricklayer father in masonry alongside delivering milk, and working in Javier Zanetti cousin's grocery store without neglecting Javier Zanetti passion for football. Javier Zanetti began playing football on a pitch in the suburbs of the city, and personally took care of pitch maintenance.

Club career

Talleres

Zanetti, after being rejected by the youth divisions of Argentina's Club Atlético Independiente, signed for Club Atlético Talleres de Remedios de Escalada (a second division team at the time) but soon moved in 1993 to the Primera División Argentina club Club Atlético Banfield.

Banfield

A 20-year-old Zanetti debuted for Banfield on 12 September 1993 in a home match against Club Atlético River Plate. Javier Zanetti scored Javier Zanetti first goal 17 days later against Newell's Old Boys in a match that ended 1-1. Javier Zanetti outstanding performances for Banfield gained popularity from El Taladro fans and also earned Javier Zanetti a call-up from the Argentina national football team. First division giants River Plate and Boca Juniors came knocking but Zanetti decided to stay on for another year at the club. In 1995, Javier Zanetti finally moved to Italy's Internazionale Milano F.C., becoming team owner Massimo Moratti's first-ever purchase.

Internazionale

Javier Zanetti made Javier Zanetti debut for Inter on 27 August 1995 against Vicenza Calcio in Milan. Throughout Javier Zanetti stay with the club, Javier Zanetti has won nine trophies: the UEFA Cup in 1998 – scoring the second goal for the final with a shot outside the penalty area –, the 2005 and 2006 Coppa Italia, the 2005, 2006 and 2008 Italian Super Cup, and the Serie A 2005-06, Serie A 2006-07, Serie A 2007-08 and Serie A 2008-09 Scudetto. Javier Zanetti scored the decisive penalty kick to help Inter win
the 2008 Italian Super Cup.

Zanetti's qualities have made Javier Zanetti a respected footballer all around the world. Javier Zanetti is sometimes criticised for being too soft-spoken on the pitch, but Javier Zanetti makes up for this by being one of Inter's most consistent, reliable, and trusted players. As such, Javier Zanetti was rewarded with the club captaincy, taking over from legendary defender Giuseppe Bergomi. Being a part of the squad for the last 13 seasons and with over 600 appearances, Javier Zanetti is currently the team's longest-tenured player, and the second overall behind Bergomi (758) in the all-time list of most capped Inter players. To Inter fans, Zanetti is one of the greatest players ever to have ever worn the colors of the black and blue. Javier Zanetti celebrated Javier Zanetti 600th cap for Inter in style with a 1-0 win over newly promoted U.S. Lecce. Minutes before the match, Javier Zanetti was presented with a commemorative plate by vice-captain Iván Córdoba to mark the special occasion.

Since the arrival of Maicon Douglas Sisenando at the beginning of the 2006-07 season, Zanetti has moved from Javier Zanetti right back position and has since been playing in the midfield. Javier Zanetti ended a 4-year goal drought when Javier Zanetti scored on 5 November 2006 at a home match against Ascoli Calcio 1898, having previously scored on 6 November 2002 at an away match against Empoli F.C.. On 27 September 2006, against FC Bayern Munich, Zanetti played Javier Zanetti 500th professional match for Inter and on 22 November 2006, Javier Zanetti appeared in Javier Zanetti 100th UEFA match against Sporting Clube de Portugal.

As of February 2009, Zanetti has not received a red card in ten years. The last time Javier Zanetti was sent off was on 17 February 1999 in a Coppa Italia match against Parma F.C.. Zanetti said:

"I haven't argued with Referees, but I was very disappointed when Braschi showed me my first red card in the game against Parma a few years ago. I had nothing to do with it and Javier Zanetti sent me off." At Inter, Zanetti has had 15 different coaches (List of F.C. Internazionale Milano managers), making Javier Zanetti the only player to have played under this many coaches. Javier Zanetti current contract with Internazionale runs until 2010. The captain has pledged Javier Zanetti future to the Nerazzurri, hoping to have a future behind the desk at the club once Javier Zanetti hangs up Javier Zanetti boots after Javier Zanetti quits 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 Javier Zanetti 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."

Though Zanetti is more often classified as a defender, Javier Zanetti has played in the midfield for most of the first half of the 2008-09 season. For the last several weeks of October 2008, with Portugal coach José Mourinho facing a midfield crisis due to injuries to key midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Sulley Muntari, Javier Zanetti was moved again to the midfield for the matches against Genoa C.F.C. and ACF Fiorentina. Since then, Mourinho has played Javier Zanetti in the midfield due to the preference of Maicon, Nicolás Burdisso, Walter Samuel, and Iván Córdoba in the back four. With the return of Patrick Vieira and Luís Figo to the line-up, Zanetti has been moved back to Javier Zanetti right-back position.

International career

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

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

After Roberto Ayala suffered a last minute injury which left Javier Zanetti out of the tournament, Zanetti captained Marcelo Bielsa's Argentine national squad in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, they finished 3rd in their group, despite winning the opening match.

Zanetti celebrated Javier Zanetti 100th cap by helping Argentina win their 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final over Mexico national football team on 26 June 2005, in which Javier Zanetti won the Man of the Match award.

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.
Instead, Lionel Scaloni was given a surprise selection, a move that bewildered many fans and media. "I don't know if there are any footballing or non-footballing reasons. But I can sleep peacefully because I have given so much to my national team, and I still feel a player of the Argentine national team. I'm certainly not Pekerman's kind of player," Zanetti commented after being omitted from the final squad.

With new coach Alfio Basile, Zanetti was called for a friendly match against France national football team on 7 February 2007. Javier Zanetti 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. That same year, Zanetti was Vice-captain (football) of the Argentine Squad for the Copa América 2007, having previously appeared in the Copa América 1995, Copa América 1999 and the Copa América 2004 editions of the tournament.

In April 2007, Zanetti was presented with the National Giuseppe Prisco Award. Since the retirement of Ayala, Zanetti has been given the captain's armband. At a World Cup qualification match against Bolivia national football team on 17 November 2007, Javier Zanetti became the most capped player ever for Argentina.

Zanetti has remained a regular under new coach Diego Maradona. However, Maradona decided to pass the captain's armband to Javier Mascherano of Liverpool F.C..

Personal life

In 1992, Zanetti met Javier Zanetti wife Paula and married after seven years of dating. They live near Lake Como, where they own a restaurant called "El Gaucho". 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's elder brother Sergio Zanetti is a former football defender. Javier Zanetti is not related to Cristiano Zanetti, an Italy who played alongside Javier Zanetti for five seasons and is currently playing for Juventus F.C..

In 2007, Zanetti collaborated with Italian singer Mina Mazzini in a Spanish cover of the song Parole parole, found in the album Todavía.

Another young player of Javier Zanetti caliber called Sama, playing for the youth of Rangers Football Club, when Zanetti visited Scotland for a friendly match in November, Zannetti described Sama as ' The assassin of the right ', as Sama being a right wing back as well a skilled right midfeilder.

Charity work

In 2005, the Milan townhall awarded Zanetti with the Ambrogino d'Oro for Javier Zanetti social initiative. Zanetti is also the FIFA ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages project in Argentina, and has declared Javier Zanetti support for the Mexican Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

Fundacion Pupi

Zanetti has also proven that Javier Zanetti has a highly-developed social conscience. In response to Argentina's December 2001 riots (Argentina), which threw millions of people into poverty, Zanetti, with Javier Zanetti wife Paula, created the (PUPI foundation) in Argentina for the social integration of poor children. The aim of the organization is to help children by giving them educational opportunities, as well as taking care of their nutritional requirements who were left impoverished by the country's economic crisis.

"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," Javier Zanetti explained.

Leoni di Potrero

Zanetti, along with Javier Zanetti compatriot and current teammate at Inter, Esteban Cambiasso, unveiled this charity association to help coach young children with social isolation problems and motor coordination difficulties. Zanetti said, "Reminding those present that this spirit lies at the base of all of Inter's initiatives for youngsters."

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

Honours

Internazionale

- Serie A: Serie A 2005-06, Serie A 2006-07, Serie A 2007-08, Serie A 2008-09
- UEFA Cup: UEFA Cup 1997–98
- Coppa Italia: Coppa Italia 2004-05, Coppa Italia 2005-06
- Italian Super Cup: 2005 Supercoppa Italiana, 2006 Supercoppa Italiana, 2008 Supercoppa Italiana

Argentina

- Football at the 1995 Pan American Games: Gold medal
- Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics: Silver medal

Individual

- FIFA 100