Javier is a football player. Javier Zanetti is an Inter legend. Legend of the Argentina national team and Italian Inter: defender Javier Zanetti

The legendary captain of Inter, one of the symbols of football devotion, who recently retired from sports and became vice-president of the Nerazzurri, celebrates his birthday today. Soccer.ru congratulates Javier Zanetti by studying the ABCs of his life.

Atlético Talleres. Zanetti spent seven years in the Independiente training system, but failed to gain a foothold in the youth team, so he went to second division club Talleres, where he started his career professional career , having established themselves in the main lineup already in the debut season.

Banfield. Atlético Talleres took 14th place in the second division, and Banfield won promotion and invited a young defender to join the elite. Zanetti quickly won the favor of the Drill fans, especially after refusing to move to River Plate or Boca Juniors, who invited Javier to join them. From Banfield Zanetti received his first call-up to the Argentina national team, during which he managed to hold 15 meetings before leaving for Europe.

Vice President. High post, which Zanetti received immediately after his career, underlines for the thousandth time his incredible importance in the history of Inter. Moreover, rumors that Javier would become vice-president of the Nerazzurri appeared a couple of years before he sat down as one of the leaders of the Milan club. The Argentine just didn’t want to hang up his boots.

Goals. During his amazing career, Zanetti scored just 31 goals. The hero himself highlights two goals, which are separated by a couple of months. In the 1997/1998 UEFA Cup final, where Inter defeated Lazio 3:0, Javier scored alongside Ronaldo and his good friend Zamorano, and at the 1998 World Cup he scored important ball in a memorable meeting with England.

Doc Sud. Javier spent his childhood in the industrial area of ​​Avaglianeda, one of the satellites of greater Buenos Aires. Life in Dock Sud (Southern Docks) was not easy, the family struggled with poverty, so Zanetti was accustomed to work from a young age. I had to combine my studies at school with the help of my father, a bricklayer, at a construction site and my cousin in a grocery store. In addition, Javier delivered milk, for which he had to get up at the crack of dawn - at 4 o’clock in the morning.

Wife. Javier met his future wife Paula when he was 18 and she was 14.. He - young football player"Talleresa", she is an aspiring basketball player in the same club. Since then they have been together, and even temporary separation did not become an obstacle: Zanetti went to Italy, and his love could not immediately follow him, since she was still going to school. They got married on December 23, 1999, and since then, on the 23rd of every month, Javier gives or sends a bouquet of flowers to his wife, wherever he is on that day. The couple has three children - daughter Sol, sons Ignacio and Tomas, and they are truly happily married.

"Inter". The main club in Zanetti's career. 19 years as a player, 858 matches, 16 trophies, 47 Milan derbies, many records. Direct speech: “Inter is skill and recklessness, Inter is suffering, Inter is pain, Inter is ecstasy.”

Work culture. One day Javier was asked what the secret of his athletic youth and undying motivation. He answered briefly but succinctly: “Work culture, passion and love for the profession - that’s what we stand for!” And he seemed to emphasize the obvious truths, but how accurately does this “holy trinity” of values ​​characterize Zanetti the football player?

Champions League. Javier won his main victory with Inter in 2010, when the Nerazzurri, under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, became the strongest club in the Old World, winning the Champions League. “I often remember that great evening. I remember crying when the referee announced two extra minutes. An incredibly emotional moment!” Zanetti does not hide his feelings.

Mother. In 2011, Inter won the Italian Cup final against Palermo, Javier received a message from his mother: “Son, congratulations! I am very proud of you. I love you". The party in honor of the won trophy ended late, Zanetti decided to call his mother back the next day, but it was too late: Violetta died in her sleep.

Failure. Javier once admitted that he would really like to replay match last round with Lazio in the 2001/2002 season. It was enough for Inter to score three points in the match with the Eagles to win the Scudetto for the first time in 14 years, but the Nerazzurri lost 2:4, leading twice. As a result, Juventus reached the finish line first, and Roma pushed the Milanese back to third place. It was a tragedy.

Father. Javier often recalls the challenge his father gave him: “Do you really want to become a football player? Then go and try it!” Rodolfo Zanetti worked as a mason from early morning until late evening, but did not deprive his son of attention and care. When the family did not have the money to buy boots for Xavi, dad, sacrificing sleep, sewed football shoes for his son himself.

Poopy. Commentators in Argentina nicknamed Javier the Tractor because of his powerful legs and gentle but unwavering assertiveness. And here partners at Banfield simply called Zanetti - Pupi. There is no secret meaning in this nickname, just an easy-to-pronounce set of morphemes, but many years later, when Javier and his wife created the P.U.P.I. foundation, which takes care of low-income children in Argentina, the youthful nickname was filled with deep meaning.

Homeland. Javier admits that he is comfortable in Milan, he feels like an Italian and wants his children to grow up in this beautiful city, but remembers his roots perfectly. Zanetti holds the record for the Argentine national team in the number of matches held, and his charitable foundation “P.U.P.I.” has been caring for tens of thousands of children throughout the Silver Country since 2001.

Sergio. Javier's older brother was also a football player. We can say that Zanetti followed in his footsteps, it was Sergio who did not let Pupi give up football in early age, constantly spurring and supporting him. Sergio has almost half a thousand meetings in the top division of the Argentine championship, since 2006 he has been coaching juniors and youth in various Italian clubs, and in 2011 the Zanetti brothers finally reunited at Inter, where Javier’s brother was entrusted with one of the junior teams age group.

Tardelli. According to Zanetti, Marco Tardelli - worst coach of his career. The Italian specialist coached Inter in the 2000/2001 season, and Javier speaks of him without much respect: “The hardest season of my career was under the leadership of Tardelli. Disgusting atmosphere in the locker room, defeat to Milan 0:6... Marco was a coach with whom I collaborated and communicated without any pleasure.”

Station wagon. A football player who is a pleasure to work with. Javier will do what he is told, will play in any position, and you can always rely on him. Whether in defense, in the midfield or even in attack– this happened occasionally at Inter. A true universal soldier!

Facchetti. Javier called Giacinto "the best of people", has repeatedly emphasized with what pride he wears the captain’s armband at Inter, having the right to consider himself the successor of the great Facchetti, whose records Zanetti broke after the death of the legendary Nerazzurri.

Hodgson. In the personal rating of coaches, Mourinho and Leonardo have 10 points each, Hector Cooper and Luigi Simoni deserve 9 each, and Mircea Lucescu and Roy Hodgson deserve 8 each. By the way, it was under the English coach that Zanetti seriously expanded his football horizons, trying several new positions. A few years ago, Hodgson suggested that Javier could break Stanley Matthews' record and could easily play football on high level up to 49 years old.

Determination. Zanetti is a fan of his work. He ran cross-country on his wedding day and, according to Paula, always went to training a couple of hours after the birth of his children. Or this episode: Javier went on vacation with his wife to Tunisia and was furious when he found out that Paula did not make sure that there was Gym. And he has a training program for vacation, which must be followed! A solution was found: a backpack with heavy books and dumbbells on his wife’s back, his beloved on his neck, and with all this pleasure he squats, squats and squats.

"Four". Fourth Javier's number for Inter has been retired. Zanetti thanked the club's management and fans, saying that the shirt and the gesture associated with it really meant a lot to him.

Shirea. The Gaetano Scirea Award is awarded to football players from the Italian Championship who have exceeded the 30-year mark and whose career can be considered exemplary. This refers not only to football achievements, but also to commitment to principles fair play and honorable conduct on and off the field. Naturally, Javier was awarded this award, becoming its owner in 2010.

Generosity. In 2001, Argentina was hit by a crisis and Javier and Paula decided that they could make the lives of many people better, taking advantage of their financial position and connections.

Hector Cooper. The arrival of a compatriot coach became key point for Zanetti, because at the beginning of the century, things were not going well for Inter, the coaches changed endlessly, and Javier, against the backdrop of all these troubles, almost decided to move to Real Madrid. And only Cooper managed to dissuade him.

I. It is impossible to be a great leader and a great captain without a set of correct human qualities and the ability to manage one’s own “I”. Zanetti never put his own interests above those of the team, which is why he became a legend, respected far beyond the black and blue community of Inter fans. Happy birthday, Pupi!

Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Date of Birth: August 10, 1973.
Role: Defender

Javier Zanetti - the story of the Inter Milan legend.

Javier was born into an ordinary working-class family on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. WITH early childhood I began to combine not only football and studies, but also part-time work in a grocery store, as well as helping my father, who was a bricklayer. 1982 marked the beginning of a football career for young Zanetti. The first youth club was Independiente, for which the Argentine played until 1989. But when the player turned 16 years old, he realized that it would be very difficult to break into the base of this team, so the footballer signed a contract with a less famous club – Talleres.

While playing for Talleres, the young player began to show good game already in the first season, having played 33 games for the Argentine club, scoring his first goal in one of them professional level. The team took 14th place in the second division of the Argentine championship. But the young player did not stay in this division; immediately after the end of the championship, he signed a contract with the Banfield club, which at that time acquired the right to play in the First Division of the Argentine Championship.

On September 12, 1993, Javier made his debut for new team in the game against River Plate. The footballer scored his first goal for Banfield against Newell's Old Boys in an Argentine championship match. In the first season, Banfield took 9th place, and the defender became one of the favorites of local fans. In the second season, the young footballer continued to show good football, but could not help the team repeat last year's success; Banfield took only 13th place.

In 1995, Inter Milan invited a young and promising player. On August 27, the Argentine made his debut for the new team in a match against Vicenza. On December 3, 1995, the genius scored his first goal for Inter against Cremonese. From the very first season, Javier became the main defender of the Milan team. Speaking long years in the position of midfielder, with the arrival of more famous stars at the club, the footballer began to move to the position of left back.

In 1999 Javier Zanetti becomes captain of Internazionale, accepted the captain's armband from the legend of the Milan club - Giuseppe Bergomi. On April 16, 2010, the legendary athlete played his 500th match for the Milan club. Near the end of my life sports career, the footballer wanted more and more to stay and finish football life exactly in this club. Having played his 600th match in 2013, Javier said that he would definitely hang up his boots playing for Inter. In the summer of 2013, the captain extended his contract with Inter for another year. On May 10, 2014, the star player played his last match with a unique captain's armband - it bore the names of all the players with whom he appeared on the field in an Inter T-shirt.

During his career as part of Inter Milan, the footballer managed to win such awards as the UEFA Cup, 4 Italian Cups, 4 Italian Super Cups, and became the champion of Italy 5 times. Also in 2010, Zanetti, together with Inter, won the Champions League and the Club World Cup. In total, the footballer played 615 matches for Internazionale in Serie A, scoring 12 times. In the Champions League, the athlete played 105 games and scored 2 goals.

The defender began playing for the Argentina national team at the age of 21. On November 24, 1994, he made his debut in a game against Chile. In total, while playing for the national team until 2011, the footballer played 143 matches, scoring 5 goals.

Personal Life of Javier Zanetti

Javier is married to Paula Zanetti, the couple has three children.

In Inter Milan, the fourth number under which the Argentine footballer played was withdrawn from circulation. It is forever assigned to Javier Zanetti.

The living legend of the Italian Inter Javier Zanetti has ended his football career. A unique achievement in terms of the number of matches played for the Milanese club forever recorded the name of the versatile Argentine defender in history. About interesting facts We will tell you from Zanetti’s biography in this article.

The famous football player was born on August 10, 1973 in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. As a child, his football career was under real threat due to anthropometric data. Javier was very puny, which is why he did not suit Independiente, the team he supported. But the love for the game of millions was stronger, so young Zanetti went to the more modest club Talleres from the second league, for which he made his debut at the age of 19.

Having played 33 out of 42 matches this season, the talented left-back performed well and moved to Banfield, who were just about to gain promotion to the Argentine top flight. After spending two seasons at Banfield, Javier Zanetti was noticed by representatives of the best Argentine clubs (Boca Juniors, River Plate, etc.). In addition, already in 1994 he was called up to his country’s national team for the first time.

Despite other offers, Javier Zanetti made his fateful choice in 1995 and moved to Inter Milan. In Italy, he spent 18 full seasons with the Nerrazzuri. And since 1999 he has been the permanent captain of the team.

Over all the seasons, Zanetti played with 18 different coaches and with all of them he was unconditionally considered the main player and leader of the team. The most successful during this time were Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho. Under the leadership of the Italian, Inter won 3 championships, 2 Italian Cups and 2 Super Cups, but Europe was a complete disaster. Mourinho changed the situation, because with the Portuguese Zanetti he raised the country's Cup, one Super Cup, won two championships and, most importantly, the 2009-2010 Champions League Cup.

Throughout his career, Javier Zanetti has won 16 trophies of various levels. Of course, the Champions League Cup stands apart, but all other trophies only emphasize the level of the Argentine and the Milanese club itself. In total, the Argentine defender played 852 matches for Inter and, of course, broke the record for the longest appearances at the club. He is also considered the record holder among foreign players for the number of matches played in Serie A.

In the Argentina national team, the left back became the record holder for the number of matches (145 matches), but he failed to achieve anything serious. At the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, we, unfortunately, will not see the veteran on the field, but, of course, he will support main team of your country.

In his personal life, Javier Zanetti serves as an exemplary example for others. He is very religious, loves his wife Paula (with whom he has three children), and he also leads healthy way life. Photo of Javier Zanetti with his wife and children.

After finishing his career, the honorary president of Inter, Massimo Morata, invited the devoted footballer to become vice-president of the club. He believes that this position will be consistent with the merits of the long-time team captain. By the way, during the presidency of Massimo Morata, his first transfer was Javier Zanetti, and now they have very friendly relations.

The farewell match at Giuseppe Meazza turned out to be very touching for Javier. He came on as a substitute and immediately put on a special captain's armband, on which were all the names of the players with whom he had to play during his career at Inter. After the match, he was greeted with applause for a long time, which he deserved for his hard work, professional approach to the job and dedication to the Milan club.

Javier Zanetti is an Argentine footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. Included in the list of 100 the best football players according to FIFA. Currently he is the vice-president of the Internazionale club. Professional football career started in Argentina, first at the Talleres club and then at Banfield. Between 1995 and 2014 he played in the Italian club Internazionale (Milan), where he was captain since 2001. From 1994 to 2011, Javier Zanetti was a regular key player for the Argentina national team, for which he played 143 matches and scored 5 goals.

Biography

Javier Zanetti was born on August 10, 1973 in Buenos Aires (Argentina). He grew up and was brought up in an Argentine working class family with Italian roots. His father Rodolfo was a bricklayer, and his mother Violetta Bonnazola worked as a cleaner. Javier started playing football on a field in the suburbs of the city.

Since 1982, the guy played youth club"Independiente", which later rejected him, saying that it was not enough physical strength for productive work. After receiving the refusal, the young man concentrated on studying at school, and in his free time he worked as his father’s assistant in a stone workshop. Zanetti's biography also notes that he worked as a milk delivery driver and grocery store clerk. In 1991, the guy’s ambitions won, and he was accepted into the Talleres youth team.

In 1995, Javier Zanetti signed a contract with the Italian Inter. At the same time, his compatriot Sebastian Rambert joined the “snakes”. These transfers were the first in the history of the new owner of Internazionale, Massimo Moratti. And if the story of Sebastien Rambert in Serie A ended after half a season (the player did not play a single match), then Javier Zanetti was destined to become one of the greatest football players in the stadium

He made his debut with the “snakes” on August 27, 1995 in a home match against Vicenza. In the debut season of Serie A, the Argentine became a key player in the main squad. He took part in 32 matches and scored two goals, which came against the Cremonese club.

Here he quickly gained authority among his teammates, and was also dearly loved by loyal fans. Fans gave him the nickname El Tractor , because Zanetti played in an aggressive style, not allowing the opponent to squeeze into his penalty area.

Legend of the Argentina national team and Italian Inter: defender Javier Zanetti

On account of the Argentine lateral record number matches played in the history of the Internazionale club. He played 1,114 games as a member of the “black and blues,” of which 858 are considered official (and are a record). This indicator is a derivative of several other records:

• the first foreign player to have the most matches played in Serie A (615),
• the most titled Inter footballer (16 trophies),
• Inter player with the most matches played in the Champions League (105).

The list doesn't end there. Javier Zanetti's career is distinguished by such exotic records, for example, as the player who played the most matches in the Champions League as a team captain (82). Also the Argentinean who managed to score a goal at the Club World Cup (scored a goal at the age of 37 years and 123 days).

Among all the dedicated Serie A footballers, Javier Zanetti ranks fourth, behind such masters as (647), Gianluigi Buffon (629) and (619). It is worth noting that legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon still has a chance to top this list.

Achievements with Inter

With the Black and Blues, Javier Zanetti won 16 trophies: five Scudettes, four Copa Italias, four Supercoppa Italias, one UEFA Cup, one Champions League Cup and one FIFA World Cup.

International achievements

As a member of the Argentina national team, Zanetti played in 143 matches, and this figure is also a record. With the Blue and White he reached the Copa America finals in 2004 and 2007 and the Confederations Cup finals in 1995 and 2005. Here Zanetti became a silver medalist Olympic Games 1996 in Atlanta and gold medalist at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.