Javier Adelmar Zanetti was born 10 August 1973. Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires to Violeta Bonnazola and grew up in the harbour area in the Dock Sud district. He combined schooling and working commitments, helping his bricklayer father in masonry alongside delivering milk, and working in his cousin's grocery store without neglecting his passion for football. He began playing football on a field in the city suburbs, maintaining the pitch in his spare time. He is of Italian ancestry.
He is an Argentine footballer who plays for Serie A club Inter Milan. Javier Zanetti has played for Inter since 1995, taking the captain's armband from 29 August 1999. Known for his versatility, he is adept on both the left and right wing, having played on both flanks as a fullback as well as a winger. He slots into several midfield positions with ease, particularly as a defensive or central midfielder. Internationally, he holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team and has played in the 1996 Olympic tournament and in two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002.
Known as «Pupi» in Argentina, Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires, picking up the nickname El Tractor soon after his move to Italy where his strength, resilience, stamina, and his ability to run past opposing defenders when joining the attack from his right back position earned him notoriety.
More recently, he plays in the right midfield. He ended a 4-year goal drought when he scored on 5 November 2006. In the national team, he is deployed as a right back but is able to switch between defense and attack easily. The 2010 UEFA Champions League Final on 22 May 2010 was Zanetti's 700th game with Inter, and the team's victory on the night ensured that Zanetti marked the occasion by completing a historic treble. He also scored on 20 October 2010 against Tottenham Hotspur to make him the oldest player to score in the UEFA Champions League at the age of 37 years and 71 days. This record has since been surpassed by Filippo Inzaghi and Ryan Giggs.
He made his debut for Inter on 27 August 1995 against Vicenza in Milan. Throughout his stay with the club, he has won 16 trophies, 15 of which came under his captaincy, the UEFA Cup in 1998 – scoring the second goal for the final with a shot outside the penalty area – the 2005, 2006 and 2010 Coppa Italia, the 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 Italian Super Cup, the 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 Scudetti and the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League. In 2010, Zanetti became the first player to captain an Italian club to a treble of the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and European Cup. Zanetti has won five Serie A titles with Inter, having earned the nickname «Il Capitano» among the fans and media since taking captaincy at Inter. As of the 2011-12 season, he is the only non-Italian player to captain a Serie A team. He holds the record for the highest all-time appearances by a non-Italian born player for an Italian club and his 757 official matches for the club put him first in Inter's all-time appearances list. Zanetti, who plans to retire with Inter and continue to work with the club thereafter, is also noted for his charity work, running a foundation to benefit disadvantaged children in Argentina.
Since the arrival of Maicon at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Zanetti was moved from the right back position into midfield. He ended a four-year goal drought when he scored on 5 November 2006 at a home match against Ascoli, having previously scored on 6 November 2002 at an away match against Empoli. On 27 September 2006, against Bayern Munich, Zanetti played his 500th professional match for Inter and on 22 November 2006, he appeared in his 100th UEFA match against Sporting Clube de Portugal. Zanetti went on an incredible twelve years without being sent off in a match. The first time he was sent off in his career was on 17 February 1999 in a Coppa Italia match against Parma, but he broke his streak when he was sent off in a Serie A match against Udinese on 3 December 2011. These are the only times he has been sent off during his entire career at Inter.
He has been named an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages project in Argentina by FIFA, and in 2005, he received the Ambrogino d'Oro award from the Milan townhall for his social initiative. Zanetti is also a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.
On 23 December 1999, Javier Zanetti and Paula De la Fuente were married in Argentina, after seven years of dating. They met when he was nineteen and she was fourteen. They live near Lake Como, and they also own a restaurant called El Gaucho in Milano in the Navigli district, a popular and touristic area. Today, Paula Zanetti, daughter of a university teacher, works as a photographer. On 11 June 2005, she gave birth to a baby girl, Sol Zanetti. Javier Zanetti said, "I'm very happy about this baby girl who has come into my life. It was a beautiful experience with my wife. My daughter will have all the happiness she deserves. Zanetti also has two sons Ignacio who was born in 2008 and Tomas who was born on 9 May 2012.
On 20 September 2011, Javier Zanetti made the all-time appearance record in a Serie A clash against Novara. The Argentine defender replaced Giuseppe Bergomi in the Inter record books upon his appearance against Novara.
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