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No place like home Friday, 17 November 2006
by Paolo Menicucci
from Milan "I have always felt at home here at Inter and this is why I have never thought of leaving Javier Zanetti Special meaning." When the 22-year-old Javier Zanetti joined FC Internazionale Milano in 1995 from CA Banfield not many people could have predicted just what the Argentinian right-back would come to mean to the famous Italian club. Many great footballers have worn the Nerazzurri shirt in the 12 seasons since but after thousands of runs on the right flank and more than 500 games, Zanetti is still 'la bandiera' - the symbol - of the Inter side. The club captain is on the verge of reaching another prestigious landmark when Inter take on Sporting Clube de Portugal on Wednesday, as he currently stands on 99 European appearances for the Milan side. "Inter means a lot to me," Zanetti, now 33, told uefa.com. "It was the first team to open the doors of European football. I was very young when I came here and I think not many teams could have had so much faith and patience with a boy in his early 20s from the very first day like Inter did with me. I will always be grateful for that. For some reason I have always felt at home here at Inter and this is why I have never thought of leaving. 'Very proud'
Zanetti's longevity at Inter is even more remarkable given the club's reputation in the transfer market. Seeing so many players come and go down the years can only have added to a sense of achievement. "Looking back at the years I have spent at Inter I feel very proud," Zanetti continued. "Playing for so long for a club with such a big tradition, so prestigious and known all over the world is a good reason for being proud, I think." His greatest memory of all? "The UEFA Cup final in 1998 in Paris. We won the trophy and I also scored a great goal. I will never forget that night." Goal wait ends
Goals are not Zanetti's speciality, so when he does score it is something to remember. When he opened the scoring in the 2-0 defeat of Ascoli Calcio 1898 earlier this month, it was his first goal in four years. "I had been waiting for long time for a goal and finally I scored in a game that was not very easy for us as we were struggling to break the deadlock," he said. "I was very happy because I have gone close to scoring so many times in recent years." Fine form
A bit like Inter and the Scudetto in Zanetti's spell, a wait that ended with Juventus's disqualification last summer. Things are going well for the Nerazzurri. They are level on points with US Città di Palermo at the top of Serie A and a victory against Sporting at the Giuseppe Meazza would mean qualification for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage despite a poor start in the competition with two defeats in the first two Group B games. The Nerazzurri have won their last six games in all competitions, a record under Roberto Mancini. All-round strength
"It's a great time for us and we are obviously very happy but we also know that we have to continue like this for a long time because we haven't achieved anything yet," Zanetti explained. "We are a very good side, with several different options in every positions and extremely strong in every sector of the pitch. I think this is the main strength of our team this season even if I cannot say if this is the best Inter side I have played for, because we have had other strong teams in the past." Midfield role
Mancini has often used Zanetti further forward this season and he is enjoying the change. "I played in midfield several times in the past, especially with the Argentinian national team, and I knew I could cover that role," Zanetti said. "If the coach needs me in midfield, I don't have any problem playing there." Maintaining such a high level of performance for a decade makes his versatility even more impressive. "I always try to give my best and be useful to the team. And I take training very seriously every day. For me, however, it's a big advantage to play at a club like Inter. I have always felt the trust of everyone here and under those circumstances everything becomes much easier." Facchetti dedication
Giacinto Facchetti played a major part in eliciting such strong loyalty to the club and the former captain and president has been sorely missed since he passed away in September. Inter have not won the European Champion Clubs' Cup since Facchetti lifted the trophy in 1965. Should they succeed this season there is no doubt who the triumph would be dedicated to. "Winning trophies this year would be special especially to honour the memory of Giacinto and for his family," Zanetti said. "The whole club deserve to win trophies because everyone has been waiting for a long time, working always with great professionalism and never using excuses when we failed to achieve the results we wanted to achieve." Zanetti's performances ensure he rarely needs excuses. 
当22岁的哈维尔·萨内蒂在1995年从班菲尔德（CA Banfield）加盟国际米兰时，很少有人能预料到这位司职右后卫的阿根廷人，对于意大利最著名的俱乐部来说能有多大意义。此后的12个赛季里，无数球员曾穿上过蓝黑剑条衫，但萨内蒂一直不断奔跑在蓝黑军团的右路，已经出场500多次-----他成为国际米兰的一面旗帜（'la bandiera' ）。本周三迎战葡萄牙里斯本竞技队的比赛上，他将会迎来另一个伟大的里程碑－－代表国际米兰第100次奔跑在欧洲赛事的赛场上！ 特殊的意义
现年33岁的萨内蒂对《UEFA.COM》说道：“国际米兰对我来说意味着太多太多，她是第一个为我打开欧洲足坛大门的俱乐部，我来到这里的时候非常年轻，我想不会有几个俱乐部能象国际米兰那样，给予一个20多岁的小伙子那么多的信任和耐心。我将永远感激国际米兰，正因为如此，我在这里就如同在家一样，这就是我从未想过离开的原因。” 无比自豪
对于在转会市场上频繁大手笔操作的国际米兰来说，萨内蒂无疑是球队中的“常青树”。这些年来，目睹着无数球员的进进出出，让萨内蒂在球队的贡献显得更为特别。他继续说道：“回首我在国际米兰的这些年，我感到无比自豪。能在一个有着光辉历史，享誉全球的球队效力这么多年，我如何能不自豪？最美好的会议？1998年在巴黎的欧洲联盟杯决赛，我打入了一个伟大的进球，我们赢得了冠军，我永远忘不了那个美妙的夜晚。” 再次迎来进球
进球并不是萨内蒂的专长，所以他进球的时刻是值得铭记的。本月初，意甲联赛国际米兰2：0击败阿斯科利的比赛中，萨内蒂率先攻入一球，这是他四年来的首粒入球。他说道：“我一直在等待进球，我终于再次迎来了进球。比赛并不轻松，全队一直在努力去打破场上僵局。我非常高兴，因为在最近几年里，我无数次与进球擦肩而过。” 良好的状态
同萨内蒂结束了进球的等待有点类似的是国际米兰对于意甲联赛冠军的渴望，因为尤文图斯在夏天被勒令降级，这对国际米兰来说是个利好消息。蓝黑军团目前与巴勒莫并列联赛榜首；冠军联赛中，他们在B组先输两场的情况下奋起直追，如果能在周三主场取胜里斯本竞技队，他们将顺利晋级16强。国际米兰在主教练曼奇尼的率领下，已经创造了在所有赛事中六连胜的记录（编者注：在上周1：0战胜雷吉纳后，国际米兰已经迎来了所有赛事中的七连胜）。 多方面的实力
萨内蒂解释道：“现在是一个伟大的时刻，我们无疑都很开心，但我们也深知必须继续保持这样的状态，因为我们还没有赢得任何荣誉。我们是一支优秀的队伍，在每个位置都有多个选择，每个位置都有优秀的球员。我认为，这正是我们这个赛季里球队最主要的力量，尽管我不能说这是我效力的最强大的国际米兰，因为在过去，国际米兰也非常强大。” 中场角色
主教练曼奇尼在本赛季经常把萨内蒂的位置前移，后者也很享受这样的变化。萨内蒂说道：“我在过去也踢过中场的位置，特别是在阿根廷国家队的时候，我知道我能够胜任那个位置。如果教练需要我司职中场，我不会有任何问题。”十多年来一直保持着高水平的发挥，不仅令人印象深刻，也使得他能胜任多个位置。萨内蒂接着说道，“我一直努力去做到最好，最大限度地帮助球队。我认真对待每一天的训练，对我来说，无论如何，能在国际米兰这样的俱乐部踢球有着无比巨大的优势。我在这里能感受到每个人对我的信任，在这样的环境下，任何事情都会变得容易起来。” 献给法切蒂
吉亚琴托·法切蒂在俱乐部历史上有着无比重要的意义，这为前队长和前主席在9月份不幸离世。自法切蒂在1965年举起欧洲冠军杯后，国际米兰再没有获得这一荣誉。如果他们能在本赛季赢得冠军杯，无疑最应该献给的人就是法切蒂。萨内蒂说道：“如果今年能赢得冠军杯，那么将此献给法切蒂主席和他的家人会显得尤其特别。整个俱乐部都应该为赢得冠军杯努力，因为我们已经等待很久了。我们正竭尽全力的为此努力，没有实现目标的时候，也从不会有任何借口。”萨内蒂的表现几乎不需要任何借口。 | 
IP卡
狗仔卡
发表于 2006-11-1 12:21:00
楼主
发表于 2006-11-1 16:23:00
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