MILAN – It’s a very special edition of InterNos tonight on Inter Channel as Javier Zanetti was hosted by Roberto Monzani and Nagaja Beccalossi in the studio. The captain answered many questions that had been sent in, giving a fantastic interview that revealed his confessions, as well as fascinating anecdotes and trivia about his life.
Here is one excerpt from the episode, which will be broadcast in its entirety
tonight at 21:00.
"I’m in the final stage of recovery and hoping to return to training soon
with my team-mates. The important thing now is to recover thoroughly. The
tendon is responding really well. I can’t wait to do my part on the pitch. In
the meantime this team has been having an excellent season, despite the loss to
Roma, in which we still gave a good showing. We have to believe in what we’re
doing. We have a coach who does a very good job making it clear what we have to
do. There’s no need to lose our confidence because of a defeat. Actually, these
are the kinds of games that help us improve even more. We have loads of
youngsters who are hungry to learn and they’ll certainly give us a big hand.
I’m really happy with our young players – they’re good and we need them!
Hopefully, together with us old-timers, we can bag some big results…"
How important are the fans?
"The fans and their support are very important for me. They’ve been showing their love for me since 1995. We’ve been together for years now, through thick and thin. And I believe Inter fans deserve the best for the faith they’ve shown!"
What will you do when you retire from playing?
"When I stop playing I hope to do something for this club in a role off the pitch. We’ll see what happens. I hope to be able to be part of this great family. I really think I’ll continue to live here in Italy. My children were born here and feel Italian, and after so many years I feel Italian myself!"
Let’s take a trip down memory lane: what are your fondest moments?
"The goal I treasure most is the one from the UEFA Cup final in Paris, because it was my first trophy and first final. Then I think of the goal against Verona and the one against Roma in the 90th minute… Every time I think about the Champions League, or dream about it, I relive that fantastic moment. It was unforgettable for us Interisti. The moment always comes back to me when the referee signalled to add on injury time, and I looked at Walter Samuel and we started to cry... And he immediately became the hard man again and said, 'Come on! We still have three minutes left!' Amazing. The Champions League felt like a kind of freedom inside me, a fantastic light… I remember our Curva, which was already packed full by the opening warm-up, and the choreographed display in the stands. When I’m asked how I felt I just say my face told the whole story."
How do you experience the games as a spectator? What kind of fan are you?
"I’m a very relaxed fan. I applaud when there’s good play and urge on my team-mates when things are going wrong. But I don’t lose sleep over anything because I have to take my kids to school!
"Because of this long absence I’ve been able to devote my time to the Inter Club chapters and the foundation. I’ve done a lot of travelling and in the last two weeks I visited Sicily and Malta. I’d also like to share a thought for Lampedusa, which is going through a very difficult time. I really hope we don’t see these kinds of things anymore."
Finally, the captain gave us an anecdote about his childhood.
"When I was a kid and I used to play football on a small pitch that my father set up with other people in our neighbourhood, there was a man who was a coach, and when I put on my boots he used to make me take them off and play barefoot! He said that was how you strengthened your feet… In the end I think it all helps. You learn from all of it."
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INTERNOS PUNTATA 3 - JAVIER ZANETTI
