Video: That moment when 39-year-old Javier Zanetti goes on a 80m run
Every once in a while when you are watching a game of football, there comes a moment where you see something truly extraordinary. These are the kind of moments that gives you a hair-raising experience. One such moment occurred during a game between arch-rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan in 2012 when the then Inter captain Javier Zanetti decided to go on an 80m run.
One has to keep in mind that Zanetti was 39 years of age at that time. At an age when players are long gone from a football pitch, Zanetti shows extraordinary fitness and agility to make a Gareth Bale style run and that too against AC Milan.
The Argentine goes on a dashing 80m run after collecting the ball from near his penalty area all the way into the Rossoneri’s box. In the process, he leaves the defenders in his wake. A defender eventually clears his cross, but they certainly must not have expected such a run from the ‘ageing’ Zanetti.
One begins to wonder whether he is really human or not. It is not every day that you will get to see one of the oldest players on a football pitch go on such a marauding run. Maybe playing against eternal rivals AC Milan gave him that extra motivation but it is truly a super human effort from an exceptional footballer.
Zanetti's longevity is something truly remarkable and it goes to show why he played on till the age of 41. The Inter Milan legend retired in 2014, but one can only wonder whether he could have played on.