Cristiano Zanetti was born on the 10th of April 1977 in Carrara. His mum is called Nerina and his dad Umberto. He has a brother, Giuseppe, and a sister, Giulia, 13 years his junior, to whom he is very close.

Cristiano is a true sportsman: he loves windsurfing – which he began when he was very young – , skiing, which he can't do as much as he'd like for professional reasons, and rally racing, which for him is the apex of motor racing sports, and he's really into all of them. Hence his favourite sports personality is Valentino Rossi.

He listens to plenty of music in his spare time. He enjoys the biggest Italian and international hits of all time (Pink Floyd's “Wish You were here”, U2's “Numb”, Queen's “We are the Champions” and “Certe Notti” by Ligabue), but also appreciates the latest ones he catches on the radio.
He doesn't watch television much. He adores Fiorello though, whom he considers the most talented all-round entertainer in Italy. But he much prefers watching a film on DVD, and if he had to suggest the title of a good movie, he wouldn't hesitate in recommending Roberto Benigni's “Life is beautiful”.

Like all athletes, he's very careful about what he eats and about his physical condition, but when he goes home, he cannot resist a plate of pasta with fresh tomato sauce, washed down, obviously, with a nice glass of wine from Tuscany.

Cristiano began playing football when he was 5, in the Poggioletto team. He was almost always employed as a number 10 behind the strikers, like his all-time idol Maradona. Only when he became an adult (i.e. in his first year as a pro) did he become a central midfielder. He's already had an excellent career so far, but the crowning achievement for him was taking part in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He hopes to play professional football for many years to come and one of his aims is to win the Champions League one day.