Great charisma

A conversation with Javier Zanetti

In the Inter Milan headquarters, his desk and a door plate bearing his name are ready. A career as a club director awaits him, but the captain has no intention of giving up playing. At 35, he is still running around as he did in 1995, when he followed Juan Valentín Angelillo’s advice to come to Italy to meet the Black-and-Blues management team, on the Terrazza Martini in Milan. He comes from the outskirts of Buenos Aires, from Club Atlético Banfield, and he was one of the group of young players known as the ‘Passarella Boys’, after coach Daniel Passarella who brought them into his international set-up.

Therefore, when he arrives at the court of Massimo Moratti, the papers write him off in a few scanty lines: a tough defender, who apparently knows how to handle a ball properly. Nothing more than that. Seventeen years later though, Javier Zanetti is the symbol of the club, the record-man when it comes to Inter Milan trophies (he has won 16) and appearances (he has made 796). He is the longest-playing footballer and the foreign player totalling most Serie A appearances (572). He is also one of the fairest players: there has never been any talk about a misplaced action on his behalf; never have the team or the club gone through any trouble because of him. Even at the worst times (and Inter Milan have had a few of those in the last 17 years), Zanetti – nicknamed Pupi or El Tractor by the Black-and-Blues supporters – has always been able to measure up to the task. In his very long football career, there has never been one single flaw.

He began as a defender, but he soon turned into a jack of all trades, capable of playing every position other than goalkeeper. He faced Mancini the player in Serie A, and in cup final. Playing under Mancini the manager, he made 189 appearances. Mancio played him in most matches, improving his goal threat and turning him into a defensive midfielder. Together they won two Italy Cups, two Italian Super Cups and three Serie A league titles. At Inter Milan’s headquarters, after his training and a physiotherapy session (he is recovering from one of the few injuries he has suffered in his career), Zanetti, a quiet and shy man, with a gentle Argentinian twang, talks about his former coach.

For five years, from 1995 to 2000, Mancini was your opponent on the football pitch.

‘He was one of those players who can surprise you any time, because he can always come up with something different, something that you can’t predict. I remember when he played with Sampdoria. He was the club standard-bearer, and every time we were facing the Blucerchiati, we in defence knew we had to be careful, because he was going to cause us some trouble; he would surely be dangerous within the 90 minutes of play. On the pitch, he was unquestionably a leader, but he had quite a fiery temper. I will never forget that time we played them [in November 1995]: Mancini jumped over our keeper, who was Pagliuca at the time, and went down in the penalty box. He asked for a penalty, got a yellow card for diving instead, and he ended up insulting everyone. He was suspended and paid dearly for his actions. It was my first year in Italy, and that episode struck me. But it was, and it still is, his way of living football – with a passion.’

The 1998 Uefa Cup and the 2000 Coppa Italia – two finals against Mancini and Lazio. Which one do you remember more vividly?

‘Of course I’d rather remember the Uefa Cup final in 1998, at Parc des Princes in Paris, because we were lucky enough to win, and because I scored our second goal. That was also my first trophy with Inter Milan. The other final, which we lost 2–1, was extremely difficult, because – I will say it again – Mancini as a player was out of this world.’

What do you mean by that?

‘He was extremely precise and accurate. Such skills allowed him, on the one hand, to take up the right position on the field; on the other hand, he could always find space to play the ball into, to overcome the opponents’ defence and to create a scoring chance for his teammates. In a word, he had a vision for the game, and the skill to turn it into an end product. His many goals scored in the championship show that.’

From an opponent to a manager, as the Inter Milan coach …

‘As a manager, his thinking is clear. He always believes in what he is doing, right to the end; he really does. He always knows what is best for the team. And he does an excellent job. In a typical week together, we used to train quite hard, both physically and on a tactical level, and his advice before going on to the pitch was really useful and extremely precise. He could tell beforehand what was going to happen during the match, and if he had to take action, he would do so at the right time. As the Inter Milan manager, he was a winner.’

What is the trait of his that you remember best?

‘Undoubtedly, his great charisma and his ability to put across his idea of football.’

So what is his idea of football, exactly? Offence first? Defence first? Overly defensive?

‘Not really, I don’t think so! Mancini does not get into the game with the intention to sit back, he strikes an interesting compromise between a good defence, a constant attacking threat and, most of all, always retaining ball possession.’

What was your happiest moment in those four years when Mancini was managing Inter Milan?

‘Winning the championships, especially the first time. It was a very emotional moment, because Inter Milan hadn’t won the league since 1988/89. And it also marked the start of other important victories.’

And the most difficult one?

‘March 2008, without doubt, when we got knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool. That match started an inward-turning phase for the whole team, and it practically put an end to Mancini’s time as manager at Inter Milan. Two months later, he was relieved of his duties.’

During your long career, you had some great managers. Let us try to make a few comparisons – for example, between Mancini and Mourinho.

‘They are very different, clearly. They both have a strong personality, but their way of looking at football is completely different. For Mou, possession and defence are fundamental, and his tactics are based entirely upon the opponents’ game. What’s more, the Portuguese has a very different way of relating to the team.’

How about Mancini and Rafa Benitez, a manager who was quite successful in England, at Liverpool?

‘Unfortunately, we had very little time with Benitez. He never had the entire team available to him, because of injuries – still, we won the Italian Super Cup with him, and the Club World Cup.’

Name one manager you had in the Argentina national team who reminds you of Mancini.

‘I would say Daniel Passarella, the Selección captain when they were World Champions in 1978. He was the Argentinian who was at Inter Milan before me, and he was my manager during the 1998 World Cup. He has strong charisma, just like Mancini.’

How do you see Mancini today, at Manchester City?

‘Really well. Since he arrived, he has managed to set up a good team. The head-to-head challenge with United was exciting: two great managers and two great line-ups. Mancini’s merit was that he never gave up, even when winning the league seemed impossible.’

And what do you think of the two players you know so well, Carlos Tévez and Mario Balotelli, both of whom have caused a few problems for Mancini?

‘There’s no question, El Apache is a great player and he proved it when he came back and scored a hat trick, giving his all for the team. Mario is a great champion: it shows on the football pitch; he can create chances out of nowhere. Still, off the pitch, he has yet to find his bearings. I really appreciated the fact that he apologised for the mistakes he made in the past, but he must realise that, if he doesn’t get himself sorted out, he could jeopardise his career forever.’