Javier ZANETTI
Category
“Legendary figure”
Sport
FOOTBALL
He grew up playing football in Argentina before joining Inter Milan and forming an unbreakable bond with the team. He made 858 appearances in the team’s black and blue shirt, wearing the captain’s armband for thirteen years. He is still the most decorated play in the club having won 16 trophies in his time there, including 5 league titles, 4 Coppe Italia and one Champions League, and was also one of the stars of the 2010 “Treble”.
He never forgot his native country, setting up the PUPI Foundation with his wife, Paola, which takes care of the rights of children and adolescents in the province of Buenos Aires.
He retired from the Argentinian National team after playing in 145 matches over 17 years, becoming the player with the fourth highest number of appearances in the team’s history. He won 2 silver medals in the team’s “albiceleste” (white and pale blue) colours, 2 in the Confederations Cup, one at the 1996 Atlanta Games and a gold at the 1995 Pan American Games.
After retiring from competitive football, he was appointed vice president of Inter Milan and a member of the Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions. During his career, he was listed in the FIFA 100 (of greatest footballers ever), and in the Hall of Fame for both Italian football and Inter Milan. In 2023 he won the 27th Fair Play Menarini International Award in the “Sporting Legends” category and in 2024 he participated in the talk show “Fair Play Menarini – The Champions Tell their Stories”.