Zanetti reviews the last 31 years at Inter: Mourinho, Maradona and Ronaldo stories

Inter vice-President Javier Zanetti has told a selection of stories involving the likes of Jose Mourinho, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while reviewing his 30-year association with the Nerazzurri in an in-depth interview with Corriere dello Sport.

Zanetti has worked under four different Presidents during his time with Inter, but there is only one standout favourite: “Moratti is family,” he said. 

“Our relationship is one that goes far beyond that of a President and player or manager. And when I say ‘Moratti’, I mean the whole Moratti family, starting with Massimo.”

It was pointed out to Zanetti that he has also worked under 28 different coaches: ‘That sounds about right, I had four in one season,” he remarked. 

And again, there is a standout favourite: “Mourinho, of course, always stays with me. We did something unforgettable and maybe unrepeatable. 

“There was also Gigi, who is unfortunately no longer with us. Simoni was like a father, he made everything simple. Jose, on the other hand, was a leader, he was really convincing, persuasive. I still remember our first phone call.

“It was June, I was returning to Argentina and had a stopover at Fiumicino. At one point, I received a call from a Portuguese number. ‘It’s Jose Mourinho, I’ve just signed for Inter, you’re going to be my captain. Apologies if I don’t speak Italian very well’. He did speak it very well. Direct, loyal, an incredible coach.” 

Zanetti also played with a phenomenal list of players during his Inter career, but few match the legacy that Ronaldo left behind. 

He told a story that shows just how influential Ronaldo was during his time in Milan. 

“Back then, we still had the Christmas break. We played against Roma in San Siro on December 20. The last flight home was at 22.30. Roni said: ‘Whoever has to leave with me, after the game, shower in two minutes and let’s go’. Cholo (Simeone) and Zamorano also had to go back home. 

“We won 4-1: Baggio, Zamorano, Cauet and myself with the goals, I can’t remember which order. Cholo missed an incredible header from one of my crosses. 

“We arrived at the airport at about midnight. The plane was still waiting for us because Roni made a phone call and had it stopped. Imagine the reaction of all the passengers when they saw us get on board!

“During the journey, Cholo only spoke about the missed goal: ‘How the f*** did I do that?’ and so on, for hours. Football, football, football, he’s always been like that.” 

Another one of Zanetti’s former Inter teammates was current head coach Cristian Chivu. 

“Christian is an intelligent man, very prepared and a good motivator. I listen to him when he speaks to the team, he always gets through to the guys. He always looks for a strong performance, which is what Inter have always done, even against Arsenal, the strongest team in Europe. 

“We deserved more points against Atletico and Liverpool, we’re missing those two points.” 

And at international level, there was a certain Lionel Messi, and at one stage, Diego Maradona as head coach. 

“He left me out of the World Cup squad,” Zanetti said about the late Maradona. “But you couldn’t get angry with him,” he continued. 

And on Messi, he added: “I played with Leo for five or six years in the national team. He was very young and shy when he first got there, but only off the pitch. I’ve seen him do some crazy things. He is the essence of football. And Diego, well, it’s Diego.” 

Zanetti went on to give one of his personal Maradona anecdotes: “We had Mourinho at Inter in 2009. Diego came to Milan and told me that he wanted to come and have dinner at Gaucho, my restaurant. ‘See you at nine, half past nine,’ he said. 

“There were a lot of preparations, two long tables, wives, girlfriends. I remember that Killy Gonzalez was also there with us. 

“The phone goes at about 10. Diego is with his driver, who couldn’t find the way. He was about a kilometre away from the restaurant. I told him not to move and that we would come and pick him up. 

“When we got there, it was winter, below zero, like it is now. We found him standing near the traffic light wearing a pair of shorts and a long coat down to his feet. We ended up going to bed at 4am.”