Cricket legend Viv Richards and Ian Botham were Christian Vieri's top picks among cricketers. In the times of the coronavirus pandemic, Vieri contemplated the idea of training alongside Italy's national cricket team.
Italian Football Legend Christian Vieri: From Australia to the World Stage
Born in Italy but raised in Australia, Christian Vieri's journey to becoming a football icon was an unexpected one. His father, who initially did not anticipate his son's success in the sport, was supportive of Vieri's passion for football.
As a child, Vieri was passionate about three sports: cricket, football, and tennis. His love for both cricket and football developed during his time in Australia. Vieri's favourite cricketers were Viv Richards and Allan Border, and he also had a fondness for the West Indies team and their players, including Clive Lloyd, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and Michael Holding.
Despite his passion for cricket, Vieri chose to pursue a career in football over tennis because he loved it a little more. At the age of 15, Vieri made the decision to go to Italy to pursue a career in professional football after scoring the winner in an under-15 tournament. He did not return from Italy after staying with his grandfather for a couple of months.
Vieri's decision to leave Australia and pursue a career in Italy paid off. He became the world's most expensive player in 1999 and scored nine World Cup goals for Italy in the 1998 and 2002 tournaments. Vieri earned 49 caps for the Italy national football team and had a successful career with various football clubs, including Lazio, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Atlético Madrid.
Despite his success, Vieri's father did not put any pressure on him to pursue a career in football. Instead, he allowed Vieri to make his own decisions and follow his dreams.
Recently, Vieri considered training with the Italian national cricket team during the coronavirus period, but was unable to due to not being in Italy during the summer. However, it is safe to conclude that Vieri did not consider cricket as a profession and focused entirely on football.
Today, Vieri remains passionate about cricket, but his legacy as a professional footballer is well documented. His career details and achievements are a testament to his love for the sport and his determination to succeed.
[1] Football Database [2] Transfermarkt [3] ESPN [4] Wikipedia [5] FIFA
Read also:
- Massive 8.8 earthquake hits off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, prompting Japan to issue a tsunami alert.
- Court petitions to reverse established decision on same-sex marriage legalization
- Proposed Standardization of Food Labeling Laws Among Member States by the Commission
- Experimenting with Merz's Germany has stretched into an extended period of time, resembling a numerous three-month duration.
