MILAN – All over the world people took notice for Javier Zanetti’s final
match at the San Siro. From every corner of the globe, fans were linking up by
way of the internet and social media with thousands of warm messages for Inter’s
legendary captain who made history with the Nerazzurri. All the fans and
football aficionados, whether they were ‘rivals’ or simply neutral, enthusiastically
followed the initiative created by Inter and the results were fantastic: a
global reaction of Interisti who wanted to send their heartfelt messages to
captain Pupi.

But most impressive of all was the strong presence of the #JZ4ever hashtag launched by the club at @Inter, which after only one hour was already the top Twitter trend in Italy, with hundreds of affectionate tweets. There was also strong trending throughout all of Europe, Indonesia, the UAE, Japan and South America.

There were over 10,100 images on Instagram that tagged @fcinterofficial and included #JZ4ever, and more than 14,000 likes for the photos from the evening at the San Siro. And on Facebook, after Inter asked their followers to change their profile pics to the one created for this special occasion, there were hundreds of thousands of Pupis commenting on and ‘liking’ the official page – a spectacular turnout.

The numbers were staggering, with more than 73,000 ‘likes’ for the cover photo of the captain being thrown into the air by his team-mates, and more than 50,000 for the shots from the pitch as he was saluted by Erick Thohir, Massimo Moratti and all of the club’s employees. Then there was the amazing amount of views the page received: over 8.5 million, meaning a surge of more than 190% compared to the previous week. There was also a rise in the number of followers on Twitter (more than 2,000 in a day) and on Instagram (5,000 in two days). At inter.it there were over 10,000 views for the articles on Zanetti’s fantastic final evening on the pitch of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

In China, on the Weibo social media site, Inter fans took photos of themselves wearing the number 4 shirt, showing the strong passion for the blue and black on the other side of the globe. 

The editors of inter.it and the social media sites had to give up: it was impossible to choose. Better to simply recognise the fact that everyone was a winner when it came to Javier. And have another look at what the fans dedicated to him.

A global movement and a global love. Something special, all for the captain. #JZ4ever 

MILAN – After a year away, Inter are back in
Europe. At the conclusion of the Week 37 afternoon league matches, Fiorentina’s
1-0 victory away to Livorno and the 1-1 draw between Torino and Parma mean that Inter have mathematically secured a
place in next season’s Europa League with a 5th-place finish.

You can now review the season’s wins with these
photos from inter.it.

Forza
Inter! 

MILAN – "I think the match was good entertainment, a very good result, very emotional. It was good for Zanetti, good for Inter, good for the fans. I went to the restaurant last night to say hi again: It’s a good thing. But now we have another match and we’re focused on that." This is what FC Internazionale president Erick Thohir had to say on his way out of the Armani Hotel.

MILAN – Rolando and Francesco Toldo were guests on Radio 24’s ‘Voi Siete qui’ programme this afternoon, with today’s episode dedicated to football and held for the occasion at Pirelli’s flagship store, Pirelli Corso Venezia. The radio show also provided the opportunity to award the winner of the Inter/Pirelli competition ‘Vinci un giorno da campione’.

The programme looked at different football experiences and the Nerazzurri defender recalled the goal he scored against Juventus in Turin, saying it was one of the highlights of his debut season at Inter: "I’m sorry we lost that game but a goal against Juve is still a goal against Juve. I’m not going to forget it in a hurry!"

Rolando went on to explain how he came to play in defence: "I started out as a forward, then when I arrived in Portugal they needed a midfielder and a defender. I chose to play in midfield but one of our defenders got sent off in a game and I filled in for him… The rest is history!"

Francesco Toldo reflected on a goal of his own – attributed to Christian Vieri – which came in another famous game against Juventus. "The goal was actually mine. If you look at the replay you can clearly see me touch it… I let him have it though because we’re friends! I told Cuper I’d go up for the last corner, you know coaches normally complain when they see you in the opposition area."

Toldo also spoke about Inter Forever: "It’s an honour for me to promote this initiative which has come about thanks to our passion, the gratitude that past footballers who have worn the black and blue feel towards the club and the respect and affection the club has for its former players. Inter Forever is there to offer its help to the club at events, friendlies and meetings, wherever there’s Nerazzurri passion. It can be in Italy or abroad, as the fans will get to see over the coming weeks."