The 40-year-old says that he thought long and hard about calling time on his playing career but has no regrets over having said farewell to the game
Inter legend Javier Zanetti has admitted that his decision to hang up his boots at the end of the 2013-14 campaign did not come easy to him – but has little doubt that he made the right call.
The Argentine recently announced that he will retire this summer after 19 years at the Serie A side and he played his last official game for the Nerazzurri against Chievo on May 18.
“Before coming to this decision to leave the game I had thought about it a lot,” Zanetti told RaiTre.
“After the bad injury I suffered I had promised myself that I would show I could still play, which is what I did. After having returned to the pitch against Livorno and having felt the fans’ love I started thinking about it.
“Perhaps leaving the game would be the right decision since I had given everything. I gave my all until the very end.
“There have been all kinds of displays of support, and not just from Inter fans. Now I feel relaxed. The possibility of maintaining a bond with this club is something that makes me happy.”
Zanetti, 40, made over 800 official appearances for Inter after joining from Banfield in 1995.