MILAN - Javier Zanetti spoke about his new life as vice president, his relationship with Erick Thohir and Inter's present and future in an interview with Canal Plus' Equipe du Dimanche.
He began by discussing how his life has changed since hanging up his boots.
"The thing I miss most about playing is the whole training routine – spending time with the other players, the atmosphere in the dressing room. But I have no regrets because I gave it some careful thought before retiring. Inter are a great family and it's important for me to remain a part of it. What I'm doing now gives me the chance to be close to the team, speak to the coach and the president. I'm trying to do my bit to ensure a bright future for the club.
"I'm vice president and I feel very privileged to hold this position. I'm grateful to the club for giving me the chance to go on representing Inter all over the world. It was a privilege for me to wear the Nerazzurri jersey for so many years. I was proud to defend these colours on the pitch and now I have to do the same thing away from the field."
Zanetti then spoke about the new order at Inter under Erick Thohir.
"He's started a new project with bundles of enthusiasm. He wants Inter to always play a leading role. We're a club with a long tradition and great prestige and the president is working to ensure that Inter are always competitive. He's striving to build a young team.
"We're only at the beginning but if we keep working we can create something great. It's the start of a new order and we have a fair bit of responsiblity but we're trying to build a club with strong values. Our aim is to improve constantly.
"We had some fantastic achievements with the Moratti family. They still have very close ties to Inter and now they want to achieve more success with the new president.
"Thohir has big plans, he's a young president who loves football. He manages the responsibility of his position knowing that Inter are a big club and that Serie A is one of the top leagues."
Finally, the former club captain assessed the team's current form and future prospects.
"We need time to get to know each other. We've just set out on a new cycle and started building a new group. We're lacking a bit of consistency and that's the most important thing because it's what helps you to grow and become a successful side. We all want to improve our current situation and that's what we're working to achieve.
"We each have our own jobs to do and we're putting everything we have into building a great team. We've signed some big players recently and that shows that Inter want to compete.
"Inter's objectives? We want to end the season as well as possible, qualify for Europe and have our say in all the competitions we're in. We do need to be patient though because this is a new path we're on but I think it can take us a long way.
"Would I reconsider my decision to call time on my career? No, I've made the decision. I put everything I had into the game during my career. Now there are other people who can lead the club to success on the pitch."
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