Inter captain Zanetti reaches 600 not out
Wednesday 24 September 2008
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Javier Zanetti will take the plaudits when he makes his 600th Inter appearance (©AFP)
US Lecce's visit to FC Internazionale Milano tonight may not stand out on the Serie A fixture list but it will be circled in bold by Javier Zanetti. For the Inter captain will make his 600th appearance for the Nerazzurri.
Third in line
Mishaps permitting, the 35-year-old Argentinian international will become the third Inter player to reach a sixth century of outings for the Milan club, after Giuseppe Bergomi (758 games) and Giacinto Facchetti (634). Zanetti said of the milestone: "I am very proud, because it is not easy to achieve this at a big club like Inter." For the occasion, the player signed from CA Banfield in 1995 will wear an armband with the words "600 volte Inter" – 600 times Inter. Some 429 of those matches will have come in Italy's top flight.
Job to do
However, the right-back cum midfielder will not want his achievement to overshadow the task at hand: maintaining the lead of José Mourinho's side at the summit of Serie A. Victory against 14th-placed Lecce would continue the momentum of the first three league matches and set Inter up nicely for Sunday's Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan.
Maldini moment
"I should reach 600 not out against Lecce," Zanetti added, "but I would like to mark this feat four days later by shaking hands with Paolo Maldini at the derby. I respect him as a player and as a man." The early challengers to Nerazzurri supremacy – Inter have been champions for the last three seasons – are a Juventus team also on seven points; they host Calcio Catania on Wednesday. Italy's other UEFA Champions League representatives, AS Roma and ACF Fiorentina, visit Genoa CFC and S.S. Lazio respectively.
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