Javier Zanetti said it was a tough decision when he decided to retire from football after he spent 19 years in Serie A with Inter Milan.
A few days ago Inter’s Argentine defender has announced that he will stop playing and will end his footballer activity at the age of 40 years old.
Javier Zanetti played in Serie A only for the Nerazzurri, team with which he won several major trophies, including here the prestigious Chmapions League when on Inter’s bench was Jose Mourinho.
Former Inter captain was transferred on Giuseppe Meazza from Atletico Banfield (club in Argentina) in 1995, collecting more than 800 matches in the Nerazzurri’s shirt. His last appearance was on May 18 in a match against Chievo.
“Before coming to this decision to leave the game I had thought about it a lot,” Zanetti told RaiTre.
“After the bad injury I suffered I had promised myself that I would show I could still play, which is what I did. After having returned to the pitch against Livorno and having felt the fans’ love I started thinking about it.
“Perhaps leaving the game would be the right decision since I had given everything. I gave my all until the very end.
“There have been all kinds of displays of support, and not just from Inter fans. Now I feel relaxed. The possibility of maintaining a bond with this club is something that makes me happy.”
Zanetti has already talked with the club about a job, and we expect to see soon the famous quarterback taking over management responsibilities to Inter.