Veteran defender Javier Zanetti has signed a one-year contract extension with Inter Milan, the Serie A club announced on Wednesday. Zanetti, 39, has been with Inter since 1995 when he joined from Banfield in his native Argentina. His deal was set to expire before the summer but Inter have shown faith in Zanetti despite him still being sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury. "We spoke at length about my injury and we decided to do another year," Zanetti told inter.it.

Inter Milan's Javier Zanetti said Thursday he felt "emotional" after an audience with Pope Francis, at which the Nerazzurri veteran offered a number of football-related gifts to his fellow Argentine. Pope Francis became the first Pontiff from Argentina when he was elected on March 13. Zanetti, who like the Pope was also born in Buenos Aires, was given an hour-long audience at which they discussed "key issues and the hard work done by Inter Campus", according to the Italian club.

Roma captain Francesco Totti claims his long career in Italy's top flight had "flown by" as he celebrated 20 goal-laden years of playing in Serie A on Thursday. But the Giallorossi icon, who last week scored his 226th league goal to move to second in the league's all-time scoring charts behind Silvio Piola, says he's not ready to hang up his boots just yet. "I want a new deal," Totti told Gazzetta dello Sport, which in Thursday's edition splashed its front cover with a huge photo of the Roma captain under the headline Tutto Totti (everything about Totti).

(Reuters) - Francesco Totti has found a new lease of life at the age of 36 and the AS Roma striker is refusing to rule out a return to the Italy side. Totti last played for the Azzurri when they lifted the World Cup in 2006 but was close to ending his international retirement for the 2010 tournament before injuries and a loss of form cost him a place.