Javier Zanetti has penned an open letter to fans after hanging up his boots at Inter Milan.
The Inter icon is set for a front office role with Inter next season.
Zanetti said in a statement:
"Dear Inter fans and sports fans around the world: thank you!" the letter read of Inter's official website.
"Thank you for having supported my family and me with your warm and loving embrace and your friendship and respect in my final matches on the pitch. It's a beautiful lesson as regards both sport and emotion!
"Thank you!
"In my life as a footballer I put in a lot of effort when it came to training, the pitch, my relationship with the fans, in the gym after injuries and with my PUPI Foundation. During all this time I always believed that football was not only the greatest sport and the job that brings the most happiness, but that it is also functions as a school that teaches values and feelings, whether it be a game between a few friends or a match being broadcast around the world.
"This is what my father taught me when I worked with him as a bricklayer. And it's what you have taught me with your love and support!
"Dear Inter fans, you will always remain in my heart, with our colours, our flags and our style. I hope to serve the club as a director as I did on the pitch wearing the number 4: a captain both on and off the pitch. In our trophy-winning days and our forgettable periods, we always stuck together as Interisti, and that is how we shall remain."
