MILAN - 35 years of history, 800 joyous fans and two days of events with Inter at the heart of it all. Javier Zanetti has just come back from a trip to Malta, where he took part in Inter Club Malta's 35th anniversary celebrations. Inter Club Coordination Centre director Sergio Spairani accompanied the captain on his visit, which was led by IC Malta president John Zammit.
On Sunday evening Zanetti attended a gala dinner organised by the host Inter Club, where, as the guest of honour, he was given a rapturous reception by 400 members. On Monday another throng of 350 fans greeted him inside a theatre at a prestigious hotel in Valletta. On both occasions, the skipper gladly gave up his time for the ritual autograph-signing sessions and photographs.
Inter Club Malta also made a large donation to the PUPI Foundation, set up and run by our captain and his wife Paula in aid of poor children in Argentina.
During his time on the island, Zanetti paid a visit to the Malta FA youth academy in the company of his friend Sergio Soldano, a former Inter scout and now head of the MFA academy, showing a sincere interest in the budding Maltese footballers.
