On October 2, during the Trento sports festival, Christian Viieri, legendary Italian striker, gave an interview reflecting on his football career and discussing his experiences with Atlético Madrid, Lazio, Inter Milan, and the Italian national team.

Born in 1973, Viieri played for numerous clubs including Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Lazio, and Inter Milan throughout his career, and was also one of the main strikers for the Italian national team.

Speaking about his childhood, Viieri said: "I went to Australia when I was 4 years old and stayed there until I was 14. My father told me that life is yours and you can do whatever you want. My grandfather also told me he would give me 5,000 lire for every goal I scored."

"My childhood dream was to play in Serie A and then make the Italian national team. In the end, I managed to achieve both dreams."

In 1997, Viieri joined Atlético Madrid and became La Liga's top scorer in the 1997-98 season, scoring 24 goals in 24 matches.

Speaking about his time at Atlético Madrid, he said: "I was very happy to be there. I ate well and slept well. At first they criticized me because I couldn't score. In the fourth match, I scored two goals, and after that everything started to change."

Viieri then recalled the 1998 World Cup, where Italy was eliminated in the semi-finals after losing to France on penalty kicks, missing the chance to reach the final.

"That World Cup was very special for me. If we had won the semi-final, the final would have been held on July 12, which is also my birthday. If we had won the World Cup, I might have celebrated it for the rest of my life."

Speaking about the Italian team at that time, Viieri said: "I always felt we were the strongest. I trained very hard and was very focused on scoring goals. Many people thought I went out partying every night, but if you went out every night, you couldn't score that many goals."

In 1999, Viieri moved to Lazio. Shortly after joining the team, he suffered a knee injury which forced him to miss three months. Later, Lazio nearly missed the league championship at the end of the season, but ultimately won the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Speaking about Lazio at that time, Viieri said: "That was a team with very distinctive personalities. Nesta, Mihajlovic, Stankovic, Almeida, Mancini... We had many very strong players. That team was truly excellent."

"Salas was also a great player. He worked very hard."

In 2000, Viieri joined Inter Milan. About this transfer, he said one of the greatest motivations at that time was the opportunity to play alongside Ronaldo.

"I joined Inter Milan to play with the 'Phenomenon.' When they contacted me, I didn't hesitate for even a second before saying yes."

Inter Milan paid 90 million lire for Viieri's transfer at that time, a transfer fee that created enormous pressure on him.

"That fee of 90 million lire was a heavy burden. It wasn't the money I received, but that figure followed me everywhere."

In his Inter Milan debut, Viieri scored a hat-trick against Verona.

"At that time I just wanted to score. I wanted to silence everyone, so I scored three goals in that match."

Viieri played for Inter Milan for six years, but the time he spent playing alongside Ronaldo was limited.

"I regret that I didn't get to play with Ronaldo much. He had to rest for about two years due to injury. We often wondered what we could have achieved if we had played together continuously."

Viieri still remembers Inter Milan's defeat to Lazio in the final on May 5, 2002, which cost them the Serie A title.

"The pressure in that match was enormous. We went ahead twice, but still lost in the end. The stadium was packed with Inter Milan fans and everything seemed ready for us to win that game."

After Ronaldo left Inter Milan, Viieri gradually became the team's main player.

"If Ronaldo hadn't left, I would have been very happy to remain second choice. I didn't really mind. I just wanted to play with him."

At the 2002 World Cup, Viieri scored four goals in four matches. Speaking about Italy's Round of 16 match against South Korea, he said: "I demanded a lot from myself. We should have won that game, and I should have scored."

Regarding the referee in that match, Moreno, Viieri said: "I can't blame Moreno entirely, of course. The refereeing in that game was poor. I can't say Moreno made all the decisions, but certainly there were refereeing problems in that match."

"I went back to watch some footage of the match a few months ago, and we definitely had many chances. If we had converted those chances into goals, the result might have been different."

Before the 2006 World Cup, Viieri missed the final squad due to injury. He recalled: "I suffered an injury a month and a half before the World Cup started. I went to Monaco just to be able to play a full 90 minutes. I also discussed this with Lippo."

Speaking about missing the 2006 World Cup, Viieri admitted: "Of course I was angry, but what could I do? That Italian national team was very strong, and they eventually won the World Cup."

Beyond his football career, Viieri also spoke about his family life.

"Before I met my wife, I was in Miami and I was a very happy bachelor. Then we started dating, and about three months later, we decided to start a family. Now it's been nine years."

"We have two daughters, Stella and Isabel. Eventually we moved back to Italy. I love the food, the sea, and the mountains here."

Speaking about his two daughters, Viieri smiled and said: "One calls me 'Bobo-goal' and the other calls me 'big belly.'"

"They've been telling me for three months that they want to go to Barcelona to watch Yamalle play. I told them it's difficult, and they said 'Dad can do it.'"

"Being a parent is the hardest thing in the world."

Viieri also revealed that his daughters currently study piano, play padel, and train in gymnastics and athletics.

"Every day is their birthday. Every day is a celebration."

Regarding food and his cooking skills, Viieri joked: "If I opened a salad restaurant, I'd make a lot of money. My salads are really delicious. Now I eat salad to lose weight. I've started many weight-loss plans."

From his outstanding football career to his regrets about the World Cup and now his family life, Viieri reflected on many important moments of his career in this interview, sharing his experiences in a relaxed manner. Simply put, I am Bobo Viieri."

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