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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Michael Butler

Christian Vieri: ‘Just like the West Indies, you’ve got to be ­confident in life’

Italian football legend Christian Vieri photographed in Shoreditch, London
Christian Vieri: ‘I’m the happiest now I have ever been.’ Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Observer

I am having to explain to Christian Vieri that despite us being in London and only a few miles from Lord’s, organising a game of cricket with Sir Ian Botham is probably going to be a bit tricky. I just don’t have that sort of pulling power, but also because the former Ashes legend is in Australia and a bit banged up after falling into crocodile-filled waters on a fishing trip.

The thing is, Vieri – the former striker who at one time became the most expensive footballer in the world when he moved to Internazionale in 1999 for about £30m – doesn’t just like cricket, he loves it, having spent most of his childhood in Australia.

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