Normally I'm against retiring numbers in soccer. Mostly because it happens so few times that it seems ridiculous when it does. Pele's number wasn't retired at Brazil or Santos, Maradona never had his number retired, nor did Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Garrincha, or any number of players that belong in the pantheon of soccer playing Gods. If you retire a number you're basically saying you're more important than any of these players, which is ludicrous. That, and one of the great traditions of soccer is the mystique that comes with certain numbers for certain teams. The number 10 for Brazil now transcends any individual player, and endows any player wearing it a sense of responsibility and elicits an expectation from the crowd of what he will be capable of. Numbers carry tradition in soccer moreso than in any other sport.
That being said- Inter will only ever have one number 4. Admittedly I've never known an Inter without Javier Zanetti, but thats kinda the point, isn't it? Like it's unimaginable to think of someone else wearing the shirt, and after 800 appearances for the club it's still jarring seeing another player line up at right back. Zanetti has been a cornerstone for Inter through various eras and reincarnations of the team, and he has remained a pillar of support for so long that it almost seems like blasphemy to imagine another wearing his jersey. Zanetti's service to the club likely won't ever be matched, something acknowledged by his appointment as vice-president for the next two years.
Theres also something to say for the fact that maybe Zanetti is immortal and would kill anybody else who tried to get near his number 4 jersey. He hasn't aged a day since he was 19, maybe this is just Inter playing it safe? Just avoid the issue altogether? Who knows.
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