Dearest Javier,

So much has been said about you already that it's difficult to find somethin
g original to say. I met you when you were little more than a boy but even t
hen it was easy to see your qualities – not just as a player but as a perso
n. We spent a wonderful year and a half together, because that was a fantast
ic group. A group of people with values similar to your own, with the likes
of Diego (Simeone), Beppe (Bergomi) and all the others. Captains on and off
the pitch. You were young but it was clear you were following the example of
the right people; you were young but you possessed bags of personality and
an immense desire to knuckle down and learn. Then you became an even better
footballer; you became a man, a husband, a father; you became the symbol of
the team - and not just any team. Today we celebrate with you the record of
a player who has turned out for Inter more times than anyone else, and I can
say in all honesty that for me you are the real Phenomenon of football. Bec
ause keeping it up on the pitch for years, season after season, always putti
ng in the utmost effort as you do, is phenomenal indeed. You are a model for
everyone involved in the game and for those who watch from the outside. And
what I love about you is that you're still the same person you were then, d
espite the fame, the Scudetti, the cups, the money, the praise. All wonderfu
l things that can make a man's head turn. But not yours.

An affectionate hug – and you know how sincere it is.

Gigi Simoni
--
FROM 218.22.191.*