JAVIER ZANETTI

Expo is drawing to a close: can we make a quick summing up?An exorbitant number of people from all over the world visit Expo every day, also going back on other days, and the number entering is always increasing, so I would say absolutely positive.Values have always been the basis of your sporting career. What do you think you can say to young people approaching sport?In sport you need dedication and commitment. If a young person thinks they have the qualities to emerge, they have to persevere, continue to train and never stop believing. If you have a dream you have to fight to the end to achieve it.The job of ambassador does not concern only food and not only sport but also becomes a mission, like the decision to set up the P.U.P.I. Foundation. What does being an ambassador mean to Javier Zanetti?I’m proud to be one of the ambassadors of Expo with such an important theme as food, also one of the cardinal elements of the PUPI Foundation that I set up with my wife Paula.The P.U.P.I. (Por Un Piberio Integrado) Foundation and its conception. More than a duty, a need. When did it become a reality and what are its future objectives?It was set up in 2001 in a destitute part of Buenos Aires. We started helping a few children and now, after almost 15 years of activity, it supports more than 1500, including children, adolescents, families and an entire community.Sustainability, environment and food production. Where do you start?There are very important and fundamental subjects, of equal significance, difficult to discuss in a few lines. It would take a whole book to talk about them.Milan is your second home. How did it respond to the advent of the Universal Exposition, to the contest at San Siro to collect funds for needy children and what of Milan will you always keep in your heart? San Siro… does not count as an answer!I’ve been living in Italy for 20 years and Milan is a part of me. A city always ready for change and innovation. It greeted Expo with great enthusiasm, it made it its own and managed to make the most of this big opportunity. The Zanetti & Friends Match for EXPO, the game that was played last year at San Siro, attracted 40,000 spectators to the stadium, an immense result for me and for the foundation. Of Milan I will always keep in my hear the nerazzurri fans, who continue to admire me and love me, in the same way as when I was on the football field every Sunday.