MILAN – Smiling and impeccably turned out in his club suit by Brooks Brothers, Javier Zanetti was Nicola Savino's guest on RaiDue's popular match-day programme 'Quelli che il calcio' today.
The skipper discussed his fitness: "I'm better now. I've started runnng again – I missed that! I'm still training on my own but I'll have a test on Tuesday and if everything's ok I'll start upping the workload. I need to build up the calf muscle a bit. I'm not too far off returning: hopefully it will be around mid-November."
In the meantime Zanetti has been keeping himself busy: "I've been looking after my kids. After spending so long away, I've been able to dedicate all my time to them. I think they've had enough of me now!"
'Quelli che il calcio' showed a series of photos and videos dedicated to the captain, from the football pitch his father built ("He called it Disneyland. It used to be a dirt ground and he turned it into a football pitch for us, it was amazing") through to his successes with Inter. He explained: "They're all wonderful memories from my time in a Nerazzurri shirt. Inter is my second family. I'll always be grateful to the Inter fans and Italy."
Naturally, yesterday's match was one of the topics brought up: "It was a good game between two strong teams. There wasn't much between them. We played very well against an established side. I like Mazzarri, he knows what he wants and he's got personality – that's what you need at a big club. Antonio Conte? I've locked horns with him many times in the past, on the pitch too. Even back then you could see that drive of his which would lead him to take up a career in coaching."
Going back over Zanetti's own career highlights, the conversation turned to some of his former team-mates, including Mario Balotelli. Savino asked the captain how difficult it was to get on with the ex-Nerazzurri striker. "It was difficult with Mario. If he realised how much potential he's got he could become one of the very best. I hope he does, for his sake."
Another topic of discussion was of course the club's future, with the programme's presenter bluntly asking Zanetti, "Is Thohir coming then?" Zanetti grinned in reply, "So it's official?" before explaining that "The Nerazzurri family will keep going. I can't imagine Inter without Moratti. It's true that there are negotiations under way and the president is deciding what's best for the Nerazzurri family, but knowing his feelings... In any case we'll see what happens when the negotiations are over. But as I said, I can't see Inter without the Morattis."
