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http://fedenerazzurra.com/2013/0 ... -play-another-year/
MY FIRST 40 YEARS
“WATCH OUT JUVE, INTER ARE ONTO YOU.”
He has started the season number 18 in black and blue and in August, he will be 40 years old.
Stopping here? Not at all: “I will play another year.”
Then two messages: to Sneijder (“Depends on him”) and the referees (“More common sense”).
40 (YEARS OLD) + 18 (YEARS AT INTER) = MY 2013
“Yes, now I have decided and that I will play another year. To Juve I would say that we are onto them.”
Milan – In 2013 Javier Javier celebrates the most significant life in the life of a man and, in his case, a footballer: 40 years old and also 18 years at Inter. Whatever happens, he will be here at Inter for another year.
Cavalese, at the end of June in 1995, you weren’t even 20 years old arriving in Italy with a plastic bag just like you just came from a supermarket. What was in it?
“A pair of football boots which I had brought from Argentina. I only owned those.”
Now how many pairs do you have more or less?
“Let’s say more than a few.”
Do you what happened to Rambert?
“Last season he was the assistant of Ramon Diaz at River Plate but I don’t know what is going on with Rambert now.”
How did you celebrate your 18th birthday?
“We had a barbecue at home with friends. I did not practice that day: one of a few days of my life as a footballer that I did not practice.”
Forty years old: a milestone in a person’s life. How did you imagine of this moment when you were much younger?
“I tried to imagine it as a wonderful moment. I will have three children to celebrate with me. We will be in Como which is “our place in the world,” just like my wife Paula calls it. I will be very happy because I still play for Inter.”
So you have already decided: will you play another year?
“It is my intention and I think the same goes with Inter. Everything is leading to this direction.”
When did you decide?
“It was not a matter of a day but it happened in the period of ten consecutive victories. I was often asking myself: ‘Why would I not continue if I can still give a hand regardless of how much I play?’”
Not a lot of footballers at 40 years old that still be playing.
“There are many but not too many. If you still feel good and still can be useful then why not?”
So the famous name plate to be put on your office door at Inter headquarters won’t be ready until 2014?
“There is no name plate yet, and if there was one, it’d more likely go to the Pinetina and not Inter headquarters. Whatever I’ll do, I want to stay close to the team and possibly represent Inter at special events. No risk of stepping on Louis Figo’s toes.”
Being a vice president would be close enough to the team?
“I don’t know. That you have to ask Moratti.”
But isn’t him the one person that you have the most conversation with?
“Less than you think. Sometimes I speak with him at Pinetina. But it is not written anywhere that since one is the captain, he must speak with the president every day or should he be consulted in matters of the transfer market.”
Well, sometimes it happens…
“I have given some advice especially if it comes to my countrymen. However, much less than you think.”
What about Alvarez?
“To me, Ricky did not totally disappoint. He is struggling to find consistency. He could play ten games in a row then today we would say other things. Unfortunately, he is often injured but I would not say that he is soft. He always wants the ball and even though San Siro is not an easy stadium but he has never been afraid to continue asking for the ball.”
Will a change of scenery help him?
“I think that he will still be with us at the end of January. Then by the end of the season, Inter will evaluate the situation.”
Let’s go back to your opinions, let’s imagine you were asked about selling Balotelli back then. Did subsequent events prove Inter right?
“Nobody ever doubted Mario’s abilities, only his behavior. That seems to have remained the same even after leaving Inter. Clearly it had nothing to do with us and I don’t know if anybody could say that he was misunderstood at Inter, or that we didn’t support him.”
So you only speak to Moratti every now and then. What about Stramaccioni?
“We talk a lot, at least as much as with Leonardo, but we were friends way before Leo came to Inter. They’re the two coaches with whom I’ve had the most input, even if my relationship with Mourinho and Simoni was very close, but not based on a constant dialogue.”
Javier Zanetti was born in Buenos Aries (Argentina) on August 10, 1973. The defender and midfielder stands at 1.78 meters and weighs 75 kilograms. Before landed at Inter, he played with two Argentinian sides in Talleres (1992-1993) and Banfield (1993-1995). He’s been Inter captain since 1999.
1995 – On June 5, 1995, two young Argentinians arrived at Inter: defender Javier Zanetti and striker Sebastian Rambert. Only one of the two had the fortune.
2010 – The most successful year was obviously in 2010, the treble season with Mourinho: Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League. The final was in Madrid against Bayern.
The future – One of Zanetti’s objective is the ranking in Serie A apperances. Now he ranks third with 587 matches behind Pagliuca (592) and Paolo Maldini (647). Javier has overcome Zoff (570), Vierchowod (562), Mancini (541) and Piola (537). If he plays all the matches in the league this year and next year, he would arrive at 645 Serie A matches…
What did Stramaccioni say about Simoni, Mourinho and Leonardo?
“About Simoni is the will to build a united and persistent group. Mourinho is cunning, in a good way: about certain things, like they said, the coach is always ahead. About Leonardo is his confidence and staying positive even in difficulties.”
The day before Inter-Siena, for the first time Stramaccioni had to tell you “you’re not playing tomorrow.” Were you terrified?
“So far it hasn’t happened often, to be honest back in July I thought it’d be more frequent. I mean, come on, Stramaccioni was clearly worried that day, I told him, ‘Coach, no problem.’ He knew already though, in July I had reassured him that I would never cause any trouble for him.”
Have you assured him that he will not regret having given such long holidays?
“Except that in July, we were the first team to start preparation. It is not true that we will play against Udinese after four days of training and we are not coming back after like ten days on holidays. Our coaching staff gave us work programs and I am sure that the majority of the group respect those instructions.”
How come this year you did not propose an “auto-fine” like you did last year in case of a disappointing resumption of the league?
“Last year I don’t think that the majority of the group worked well on their holidays. But this year, yes.”
Will you put Sneijder in that “majority of the group”? How will this story end?
“The only who who can decide this is him. He must speak clearly and be honest: if he wants to stay, a solution will be found. I would say that choose from the heart. He knows that the group has never left him alone.”
But even if he decides to stay, isn’t there a risk that it’s too late? All events happened last month have left a big mark?
“If he comes back and says, ‘Let’s look forward for the good of Inter,’ then there will be no problems. But he must be the first to not carry grudges.”
Why did you only receive 8 points in the last seven games?
“Surely not because that we relaxed after the victory in Turin. I think it’s fatigue, injuries, and a bit of bad luck.”
The referees?
“Third disqualification without a direct red card, Ranocchia after Cassano and Guarin, I think that a little more common sense would not hurt.”
As a captain, will you say to your teammates to be more careful of what coming out of their mouth?
“We’ve talked about that between us but I honestly do not feel that this team is being rude or disrespectful to the referees. Indeed, I know that some people have done worse than us and it is inevitable to weigh two situations, to measures, together, it is not hard to become suspicious that certain rules only apply to us.”
Nine points behind Juve. Too many?
“A good advantage for them but in football, you never know. We will only think of ourselves and at the end, we will find us among those who will play in the next Champions League and not how many points we’ve recovered on Juve.”
But being the anti-Juve is a burden?
“No, even though that we never claimed to be so. Juve deserve to be first and if they continue like this then hats off to them.”
If Messi continues like this, will he be able to reach Maradona?
“I think he has already done it because of the things he’s done and he’s done so three, four years in a row now. My jaw not only drops for what he demonstrates on the field but also because where he can be next. Messi is one that does not have a roof. Sky is a limit for him.”
Speaking as a midfielder, is there a need for a midfielder at Inter? Schelotto could be the right one as Paulinho seems to be a distant dream…
“A midfielder can come in handy and Schelotto can be a nice change for the wingers as well as one that gives a change of pace. Negotiating with Atalanta is easier than with Corinthians because it seems to me that Paulinho is not so convinced to move now: it is more easy to talk about him in six months.”
Is Rocchi a good reinforcement for the attack?
“An intelligent striker especially when he plays deep. He knows Italian football: the alternative that we needed. I hope that he arrives here.”
Milito and Palacio would feel less the weight of responsibility?
“I think that they have been the most adversely affected by our loss in fluidity, brillance and the ability to create chances. Diego, perhaps, has paid a little bit more due to fatigue. He is one of the players that spends the most time on the field. Rodrigo was perhaps not used to playing so often. He needed time to adapt to the needs of a team like Inter.”
Can you tell us a secrete that you never reveal in these years in Italy?
“You know how people always talk about my hair and how it is always perfect. You know that my barber since 18 years old, named Marco, is a huge Milan fanatic?”
Source: Gazzetta dello Sport |
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