Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti has spoken of his pride at the Nerazzurri’s new partnership with MasterCard, describing it as ‘an honour’ and saying that it ‘arrives at the right time’.

The collaboration will last two years and was officially presented at an exclusive event near Milan’s Arch of Peace on Thursday afternoon, at which Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Antonello was also present.

“It’s an important partnership that arrives at the right time with our return to the Champions League, a tournament for which MasterCard is a main sponsor,” Zanetti told AffarItaliani after the event.

“For us it’s an honour to begin this collaboration. It’s very important both for us and for MasterCard to take part in this competition; let’s hope we can go ahead together for a long time.”

The partnership will see Inter and MasterCard embark upon a series of projects together that will enable them to go beyond their shared passion for football and promote innovation and solidarity around the world.