Inter Milan Legends Zanetti and Cambiasso Set for World Cup Snub

All season long, Lionel Messi and Barcelona have run rampant in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga. The tiny Argenitne had hit 40 goals in all competitions and is in the poll position to finish as the Pichichi as La Liga's Top Scorer, the Top Scorer of the Champions League for the second season running, and the European Golden Boot as the top scorer on the Old Continent. 

Then he met Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, who achieved the impossible, shutting down Messi and his mates. 

While it was Mourinho's set up that kept the Barcelona machine in check, he the needed top players to do it. The likes of Lucio, Christian Chivu, and even Samuel Eto'o made Messi's life a nightmare, but the true stars in nullifying the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year were his compatriots Esteban Cambiasso, Walter Samuel, and the evergreen Javier Zanetti. 

Diego Maradona's defensive set up has been gift wrapped for him by Mourinho. Three players who have played with each other for years and have been at the core of Inter's four straight Scudetti, and are still in great form and on the verge of winning the treble. An oh yeah, did I mention they shut down Messi? 

The question must really be asked—Does Maradona watch Inter play? After taking over as Argentina's manager in November of 2008, the former Napoli star failed to call Walter Samuel despite his brilliant form with Inter each time but for a friendly against France, which Samuel missed due to injury. After that, "The Wall's" name disappeared with no explanation.  

In his place, Maradona probed with the likes of journeymen Seba Dominguez and the always calamitous Gabriel Heinze, and the results were not good—a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Bolivia amongst them. 

At the same time Maradona was snubbing Samuel, he stripped the captaincy from Zanetti, once again with little explanation. The rumors in Argentina were that Maradona had plans to rid the team of "Pupi," but changed his mind when the Inter captain did not complain at being unceremoniously replaced as captain by Javier Mascherano, who stated to Maradona he had no desire to be captain because the team already had a brilliant one in Zanetti. 

Like the good soldier he has been known for in Milan, Zanetti plugged along racking up the caps (he has at 136 times, by the most of any Argentine player in history), and although is performances were not of the caliber of the vintage Zanetti of the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was hardly the weak link in Maradona shambolic back line. 

Maradona's incompetence reached its height during a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Brazil, when he started Sebastian Dominguez and Nicolas Otamendi as his center backs, and Gabriel Heinze at left back. 

Miscomunication between Heinze and Dominguez gifted Luisao Brazil's opener, before Mariano Andujar, a goalkeeper unproven at the highest level, fumbled a shot into Luis Fabiano's path and the game was all but over in the first half. 

After a loss to Paraguay a few days later, Maradona made wholesale changes to his squad, erasing Andujar from the starting lineup, and Zanetti, Seba Dominguez, Emiliano Papa, Maxi Rodriguez, Lisandro Lopez, Fernando Gago, and Diego Milito from the list altogether. Yet somehow, Gabriel Heinze and Otamendi, two of Argentina's worst players against Brazil, not only remained in the squad, but in the starting lineup. 

Although some of the aforementioned players have returned such as Milito an Maxi, Zanetti has had to watch Argentina's friendlies from the outside. Stories have come out that Heinze's brother is a representative of Maradona and helped him earn over a million dollars during a tour of India in 2006. Surely this can't have anything to do with Heinze's inclusion in the team can it? 

Heinze has also been involved with some off-field controversies with certain teammates, the least of which being Argentina's undisputed star Lionel Messi. Yet without hesitation, Maradona continues to put Heinze's name first on the team sheet at left back. 

Meanwhile Zanetti, a right back by trade, has played predominately at left back this season with the emergence of Maicon on the right and has been brilliant, especially in the two ties against Barcelona when he was instrumental at closing down Messi. There is no doubt that Zanetti will be a serious contender to be UEFA's Left Back of the Season, especially if he lifts the Champions League trophy on May 22. 

The question is now, why is Maradona leaving out Zanetti? Despite his age (36), Zanetti is one of the most durable players in world football and has the versatility needed by managers in World Cups when roster space is limited. 

His performance against Barcelona is certainly noteworthy, but as Zanetti so eloquently put it, "One game will not decide my World Cup fate. Diego knows what I can offer the team both in and away from the field." 

In addition to right and left back, the former Banfield man can play on either flank in midfield, as well as in a midfield holding role. Any time Mourinho suffers an injury, Zanetti is normally the candidate to replace his unhealthy teammate. 

El Pupi also has the invaluable experience of having contested to World Cup tournaments previously. Maradona seems set on using Martin Palermo—who has never played in a World Cup and has played 124 fewer times for Argentina than Zanetti—as his experienced player for the dressing, stating the other day that Palermo was a role model on and off the field.

An interesting way to look at a player who has heavy links to Boca Juniors Barra Brava, La Doce, or Argentine football's version of the mafia. 

Zanetti is the real player Maradona should be praising for off field conduct, having starting Fundacion PUPI with his wife Paula to help poor children from the Avellaneda, Lanus, and Remedias de Escalada areas in the outskirts of Buenos Aires with nourishment, academics, and athletics. 

In Italy, along with Esteban Cambiasso, Zanetti co-founded Leoni di Potrero , a group designed to help children with social isolation problems in the Milan area.

The reason for Zanetti's exclusion are puzzling to say the least. There are those in Argentina that felt Zanetti was unlucky, having been apart of the National Team during a barren spell as well as an Inter team that could not win Serie A for the longest time. 

Now, four Serie A titles and the prospect of lifting three trophies in a matter of weeks should have squashed claims that Pupi is by any means "unlucky" or at the cause of his team's shortcomings. 

Making Maradona's decision to leave out a player who has given so much to the Argentine shirt is made even more puzzling by Maradona's friendship and admiration for Mourinho. 

In February, when Samuel's future with the National Team looked as bleak as Zanetti's, El Pibe de Oro told the press that he had indeed spoken with Mourinho and that the Portuguese had assured him that he would get Samuel playing at the top level again. 

Maradona has also said that he considers Mourinho the best coach in the world at the moment. So then, why does El Diez ignore the player who Mourinho respects more than any other? 

Maradona was even at Stamford Bride to watch Zanetti put in another productive shift in a 1-0 triumph over Chelsea, but it is clear that viewing El Tractor in person was no good enough for El Diego. 

Unfortunately, Maradona has done more than just ignore Mourinho's faith in Il Capitano, but he has been speaking about Zanetti in the media saying that he had tried to play with fullbacks like Zanetti and Emiliano Papa, but he would rather player with four centerbacks in defense that will give him security. 

Papa, at one point a bright spot by Maradona, has had a dreadful campaign for Velez Sarsfield and was badly overmatched ever time he wore the Argentina shirt. Putting Zanetti in a category with Papa shows the utmost disrespect from Maradona, towards a player who played over 40 more times for Argentina than he did. 

Making matters worse, is that Maradona's choice to play right back (Zanetti's preferred position) is Nicolas Otamendi, who like Papa was part of a Velez outfit that ate three goals against Chivas, who were missing the majority of their big guns due to Mexico's World Cup preparations. 

Cambiasso's exclusion seems to have less to do with anything personal, but the fact that Maradona apparently does not rate Cambiasso as a player. No one is quite sure how that is possible, after all it was Cambiasso who finished off Argentina's brilliant 26-pass team move against Serbia four years ago.

Although a brilliant defender first and foremost (as seen with his shackling of Messi), Cambiasso provides significantly more attacking input that Maradona's choice of captain Javier Mascherano, and has much more experience and quality than Mario Bolatti, who is currently sitting on the bench at Fiorentina.

We must now ask ourselves, is there any chance these two Inter Milan legends can make it to the World Cup? After all, two months ago no one believed Samuel had a chance, but with such little time before South Africa.