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Christian Vieri (born 12 July 1973 in Bologna) is an Italian football player, who is a striker for Italian club superpower Inter Milan and the Italian national team.
Vieri was raised in Sydney, Australia where lies one of the worlds largest Italian communities. His father was a legend and played for Sydney based Italian inherited, Marconi Stallions. Vieri played for Marconi Juniors when he was a child, his family and himself then moved back to Italy, where his legendary father had faith in the Bologna born player.
He started his playing career at a small club called Prato (C1) in 1989. While then, his future destination Inter Milan, easily won the Italian Championship. He was then spotted by Torino and played his first Serie A game the next year for the Turin giants. He made 6 appearances and scored the lone goal, and in the Coppa Italia he scored one goal from one game.
In November 1992, he was sold to Serie B club, Pisa, scoring two goals. Another season went by, he then kicked off his wonder first season with Ravenna in Serie B, scoring 12 goals. Sold to Venezia in Serie B, scoring 11. And then another move for the youngster, to Atalanta where he only had 7 goals.
His change of luck came when he was spotted by Juventus in the 1996/1997 season. He made 23 appearances and scored 8 goals in the Serie A, and 6 goals in 10 matches in Europe.
He was on the move once again, this time it was Spain and Atletico Madrid. This is where the Vieri name became a trademark for Italian football and with the World Cup '98 just around the corner, he could be Italy's strike partner along side Roberto Baggio or Alessandro Del Piero. Amazingly, he scored a total of 24 goals in 24 appearances for Atletico, 5 goals from 7 appearances in Europe which lead him to the win the Spanish top scoring reign.
After the world cup he moved to Lazio, where he was outstanding in his first season, scoring 12 goals in Serie A and one in Europe, winning the Cup Winners' Cup. But it all changed, when Vieri was spotted by Inter Milan, and millionaire Massimo Moratti, who once signed Ronaldo for the world record transfer fee. Vieri became the richest footballer on the planet once he agreed with the move to Inter Milan.
Vieri has been at Inter Milan since 1999. In 2003, he led Serie A in scoring with 24 goals. As of the end of 2004, Vieri has scored 22 goals in 43 matches for Italy and played for his country at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups (he scored five in 1998 and four in 2002), as well as and Euro 2004.
Vieri is still considered as Italy's greatest striker over the past decade, and one of Italy's most prolific World Cup goalscorers. He was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
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