Javier ZANETTI with 800 appearances for Inter Milan is what this is all about!
People love to throw around the word "legend". What a "legendary" performance. What a "legend" he is. For me, that is one word (out of many) which describes Javier ZANETTI. Legend.
In a time where players change clubs as often as they change their socks, ZANETTI has stuck with Inter Milan. A loyal servant, he has been with the team through thick and thin and is the symbol of the club. Having joined the team back in 1995, on Thursday, against Romanian club Vaslui, ZANETTI will be making his 800th appearance for the club. I repeat. ZANETTI will be making his 800th appearance for the club. Inter manager Andrea STRAMACCIONI, who is YOUNGER than ZANETTI, said it best.
"It's remarkable. I don't even think I've seen 800 games in my whole life. The captain ought to be cloned, because in my view he is not human - he's bionic."
He is not a human. He can play anywhere. Left back, right back, left side of midfield, defensive midfielder, right side of midfield, everywhere! I'm sure he can even play as a forward if he wanted to play there!
He is also Argentina's most capped player with 145 matches, his first cap coming in 1994 against Chile. How he was excluded from the 2006 and 2010 World Cups is a crime. Yet despite being wrongfully left out (in my opinion), ZANETTI acted the same way he has acted throughout his entire career. With class. He didn't go and rant about being excluded. He didn't go to the media and complain. He said and did nothing.
The man who captained Italy in 2006 when they won the World Cup, Fabio CANNAVARO said this about ZANETTI: "He taught me how to be a captain".
There's also Ryan GIGGS, who is another class player.
"The most difficult opponent to play against was Javier ZANETTI. I faced ZANETTI for the first time in the Champions League quarter-finals in 1999, he was the right-back and I was on the left."
"He impressed with his qualities, his speed, power, intelligence and expertise. I played against him twice more and he was my most difficult opponent, a complete player."
No Javier ZANETTI Argentina post would be complete without this video.
Thank you Javier ZANETTI!