No place like home for Zanetti

When the 22-year-old Javier Zanetti joined FC Internazionale Milano in 1995 from CA Banfield not many would have predicted the Argentinian right-back would become 'la bandiera' - 'the symbol' - of the Inter side. Since then the club captain has played more than 500 games and will reach a prestigious landmark when Inter take on Sporting Clube de Portugal on Wednesday, his hundredth European appearance.

Special meaning
"Inter means a lot to me," Zanetti, now 33, told uefa.com. "It was the first team to open the doors of European football. I was very young when I came here and I don't think many teams would have had so much faith and patience in a boy in his early 20s from the very first day like Inter did with me. I will always be grateful for that. For some reason I have always felt at home here at Inter and this is why I have never thought of leaving."

'Very proud'
Zanetti's longevity at Inter is even more remarkable given the club's reputation in the transfer market. Seeing so many players come and go down the years only adds to a sense of achievement. "Looking back at the years I have spent at Inter I feel very proud," he said. "Playing for so long for a club with such a big tradition, so prestigious and known all over the world is a good reason for being proud, I think." His greatest memory of all? "The UEFA Cup final in 1998 in Paris. We won the trophy and I also scored a great goal. I will never forget that night."

Fine form
Zanetti's wait to win the Scudetto ended with Juventus's disqualification last summer and things are going well for the Nerazzurri again this season. They are riding high in Serie A and a victory against Sporting would mean qualification for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage. "It's a great time for us and we're obviously very happy but we also know we have to continue like this for a long time because we haven't achieved anything yet," Zanetti explained. "We are a very good side, with several options in every position and extremely strong in every sector of the pitch. I think this is the main strength of our team this season even if I cannot say if this is the best Inter side I have played for, because we have had other strong teams in the past."

Facchetti dedication
Giacinto Facchetti played a major part in eliciting such strong loyalty to the club and the former captain and president has been sorely missed since he passed away in September. Inter have not won the European Champion Clubs' Cup since Facchetti lifted the trophy in 1965. Should they succeed this season there is no doubt who the triumph would be dedicated to. "Winning trophies this year would be special especially to honour the memory of Giacinto and for his family," Zanetti said. "The whole club deserve to win trophies because everyone has been waiting for a long time, working always with great professionalism and never using excuses when we failed to achieve the results we wanted to achieve." Zanetti's performances ensure he rarely needs excuses.

This an abridged version of an article that appears in this week's edition of the uefa.com Magazine. To read the feature in full please click here.