Inter vice president Javier Zanetti discussed his retirement from football and the strongest players that he’d ever played with in an interview with former Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso on Instagram. His words were noted by Italian media outlet FcInterNews.
“I wanted to be the one to decide when to stop and it had to happen when I would be fit. I didn’t want people to have any bad memories of me. When I broke my Achilles tendon, I went back on the pitch and you hugged me in the locker room. There I understood that I could continue, but also that maybe it would be better to stop at the end of the season.”
The 46-year-old Argentinian then discussed the strongest players that he’d ever played with in his career.
“Ronaldo came from Barça and he was impressive, but if I have to say a name, I’d say Roberto Baggio, for his balance between quality and passion. I have great admiration for him, as everyone has always had for him.”
Zanetti spent 19 years with the Nerazzurri after joining the club from Banfield in 1995. The Argentine defender would go on to make 860 appearances for the Milanese club across all competitions, for a total of 73,863 minutes. In that time, he scored 21 goals, provided 16 assists and quickly became a fan favourite.
The player was instrumental for Inter and helped the club win five league titles, four Coppa Italia, four Supercoppa Italiana, a Champions League, a UEFA Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup. Zanetti now works as the Milanese club’s vice president and works closely with president Steven Zhang.
