Javier Zanetti was in attendance at the 2018 World Business Forum and in an interview with Panorama, he spoke about his experiences in his new job, since retiring from his duties on the pitch among other topics.

“Nobody calls me Vice-President, they call me Pupi or Capitano, but I don’t mind,” Zanetti explained.

“My new role is a great source of pride for me. I still remember my first day in the office because it marked my start down a new path and I wanted to do it with the same passion that I displayed while wearing the jersey. Of course, I was intrigued by the work and the new people, but I always wanted to try and just be myself, because I felt as if my experiences as a player could actually help.”

Zanetti then went onto to emphasise that he was not pressured by Erick Thohir to undertake the training necessary to take-on his new role.

“I did this on my own initiative. I thought about it for a long time and made my decision, six months before my retirement. I took advantage of that time to enrol at Bocconi University for a training course in Sport Management. Having completed a long and successful Football career, does not mean I was entitled to anything. I had to start from scratch.

“Competence alone is not enough, you also need values and a sense of belonging with those around you. However, many concepts are similar towards creating a strong group on and off the pitch, in which everyone has team spirit and there is a credible leader with a clear sense of direction to follow. This is the path that we are taking with Inter to enhance the brand to increase the revenues, which will allow us build an increasingly competitive team to achieve the goals which are still viable for this club, despite the lack of recent success.”

He concluded by speaking on his long term future.

“Where do I see myself in ten years? I hope to still be apart of this family.”