Lets get this thread back on topic, shall we?
A chapter from Zanetti's biography on Facchetti, if anyone's interested.
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A chapter from Zanetti's biography on Facchetti, if anyone's interested.
The fans of these colors will tell you it is not enough to play for many years in a team. It is not enough to kiss the jersey after a goal, not enough to say things in order to send the fans over the moon. The fans, above all in Italy (but also in all the other Latin Countries), it is a question that borders on philosophy. Often, to use a definition that has been a bit abused, it is said that being a fan is a faith. I think that it is more of a style of living, a way to be. For this, I fell instantly in love with Inter; because in this way it was like me and it is like me, because in this club there are values and ideas that do not exist elsewhere.
Inter is different. It is not rhetoric. Inter always goes against the current, never involving itself in subtle power games. Inter is transparent, because what happens here is on the up and up and does not need screens or guards, since there is nothing to hide. I understood from the first day I set foot in Appiano Gentile. And I realized thanks to an enlightened teacher: Giacinto Facchetti, the captain of captains, the example, the symbol, the entire par excellence.
Having him as a mentor, guide and friend was a blessing for me. He taught me what it means to wear the Inter jersey, and that to be an Interista is something that goes beyond being simply a fan; he taught me that in football yes, results count, but there are more important values: loyalty, fair play, honesty, respect towards supporters and opponents. Essential qualities for an Inter player, and that Giacinto, every day, tried to convey to us, even in times when everything seemed to turn against us and in which the goddess Eupalla seemed to have hatched a conspiracy against the Nerazzurri. [Eupalla is the goddess of calcio, invented by the journalist Gianni Brera]
"Sweet, smart, courageous, reserved, far from vulgar reaction. Thanks again for having honored Inter, and with her all of us." So, with these moving and sincere words, Massimo Moratti recalled him after his death. It was a sad day, that bloody September 4, 2006. It was the day when Inter lost its flag-bearer, its spiritual leader. And when all football, not just the Italian, lost a man who was not only a giant on the field, but also in everyday life.
The values, the passion, the dedication that for many years he put to the service of the nerazzurra cause, however, has remained intact. And even today, for all of us Interisti, Giacinto is a constant presence though no longer with us physically. It is no coincidence that after every victory the first dedication is always for him. It is no coincidence that towards him, still, reins an almost sacred respect. It is no coincidence that he has always been considered the model and an example to follow. Because Giacinto has been and always will be the image of Inter.
Giacinto was a "hombre vertical", as we say in Argentina, a gentle giant who commanded respect. One who did not waste his breath with the words, because he did not take much to make himself understood, and he did not like the spotlight. A brave man, a champion of honesty and clarity. One that never had to lower his head in front of the powerful, to him it is sufficient to be respectful of the rules, it is the the same as what he learned at oratory as a child. He had a diary, and on the first page he wrote a sentence from Tolstoy: "The more we believe our existence depends solely on our actions, the more this becomes possible.
I am proud and take pride in wearing the captain's armband of Inter, especially knowing that the armband was worn for years by a person like Giacinto. The greatest satisfaction is to be considered his heir. There is no higher compliment that can be made to me. Being Facchetti's heir does not only mean asserting oneself in the field, it means leaving a mark outside as well, showing that the career of a player is not only measured by cups and championships, but above all fairness, courage, charisma.
A strong relationship was established between us immediately. We understood each other on the fly, without much explanation. He often told me of the epic challenges between Inter and Independiente in the sixties. He had lived on the pitch, a protagonist. "What battles, especially in Argentina," he said remembering the boiling climate at the Doble Visera. Those were years when the cameras had not yet monopolized the pitch, when almost everything was "permissible" in order to stop opponents. And, at the time, the Argentinian players were famous for being a bit rough, so to speak. The fans were no better: oranges on the field, insults, threats,. In the wake of those memorable stories of triumph, I began to understand the true Inter, particularly what it meant to be an Interisti. The badge, the history, the pride, but especially feelings, love and passion.
For years Giacinto was an essential support for all Inter players. He had a good word for everyone, he always knew how to resolve difficult situations and the right buttons to push to spur one on to give more. He always took up the side of the players, he helped us in every circumstance: he taught us to not give up in difficult times and , I help us in every circumstance has taught us not to give up in difficult times, and not get big-headed when things went well.
The news of his illness was a blow, a bolt from the blue. It came just when Inter was recovering all that, in the years before, had been removed. It was in full "Calciocas", and finally justice would give us reason. But Giacinto it was not a question of revenge. Was the simply respect for the rules. He lived his last months with the usual great dignity, asking only to be left in peace, that the news of his illness not be heralded by newspapers and television. I visited him in the hospital many times, hoping until the end for a miracle. Everyone, from the players to the warehouse workers gathered around him. At that time, our only thought was to do something for Giacinto. The occasion arrived on the 27th of August, 2006, the Italian Super Cup against Rome. The disease had consumed him by now, but until the end he was seized with the events of his Inter. The day before the match I went to see him at the hospital and I made him a promise: "Giacinto, I swear that I will return here tomorrow with the cup." I kept my word. This challenge with Rome was not simply just a game of football; something miraculous occurred during those 120 minutes of play. We went down 3-0, and then in the second half, everything changed. We transformed ourselves, we became a true team, and we fought for every ball. Two times Vieira and Crespo brought us to 3-3, and then an additional from Figo sealed it up and gave us the cup. I cannot say what strange mechanism took over us all after that terrible first half: I only know that each of us on the pitch that evening played not only to win the cup, but to bring that cup to Giacinto.
The next day I went to the hospital with the trophy. "It's for you" I said. He smiled with the little strength that remained to him. That smile has kept me going, unforgettable. It still lights me up and stays with me, always and wherever.
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