|
By Paolo Menicucci
The third goal in FC
Internazionale's 3-1 win against US Lecce on Tuesday
may have meant little in terms of the final result,
but for the scorer - Christian Vieri - it was the
cue for a gigantic celebration.
Coronation ceremony
Within moments of scoring his 100th goal for the
club, Vieri's team-mates put a crown on his head to
cap the celebration of the forward's phenomenal
strike-rate since joining the club five years ago -
a record which saw him reach a century of goals in
all competitions after just 138 games.
Famous century
"It was a joke planned by Marco Materazzi," said
Vieri at a press conference at Inter's Milanello
training ground, specially convened to celebrate
Vieri's century. "He's been teasing me for two
months, saying that he would put a crown on my head
after my 100th goal and finally he did it."
Rare appearance
Vieri speaking to the press is a rare enough
occurrence - he was known as 'il muto' ('the mute')
during his time at Club Atlιtico de Madrid - but
with such a major milestone to celebrate, the
taciturn Italian international was happy to break
his silence and pay tribute to his team-mates.
Generous thoughts
"It was really important for me to score this 100th
goal for Inter," he said. "I must thank all my
team-mates who over the past five years have helped
me to reach this prestigious figure. Without their
help I would never have managed to score so many
goals."
Ninth highest
Of course, had Inter not possessed a marksman with
the power and dead-eye accuracy of Vieri, they would
have had a lot less to show for all of their good
approach play. Vieri is now Inter's ninth highest
scorer of all time, although he has a way to go if
he is to catch the man in top spot, Giuseppe Meazza,
whose 282 Nerazzurri goals saw him lend his name to
the club's home stadium.
Crowd rumbles
The milestone was all the more welcome for the
30-year-old Vieri as, for the first time since
joining Inter in 1999, he had begun to come in for
some criticism from the club's supporters;
particularly during the poor run of results which
saw coach Hιctor Cϊper replaced by Alberto
Zaccheroni.
Calm demeanour
"These kind of things can happen but it's not a
problem for me," said the Prato-born player, who
grew up in Australia before returning to Italy in
his teens. "The fans pay for their ticket and they
can do what they want."
Settled mentality
Having played for nine clubs before joining Inter,
where he has been more settled than at any time in
his career, Vieri insisted he is in no hurry to move
on despite regular rumours in the press to the
contrary. "One day they say I will leave while the
next day they say I will stay," he said. "I'm fine
here. I'll speak with president [Massimo] Moratti
ahead of next season as usual, but I feel good at
Inter."
Italian chance
Of course, before those talks can be concluded,
there is the small matter of UEFA EURO 2004, and
having missed the previous UEFA European
Championship through injury, Vieri is eager to lead
the line for his country in Portugal. "Italy are a
strong side and have everything they need to win the
European Championship in the summer," he said.
King conqueror
In 2000, Italy reached the final without the Inter
striker. With the newly-crowned King Bobo on board,
they have the perfect opportunity to go one step
further.
dal sito:
http://www.uefa.com
|
)
