Ex-Italy Footballer Says ‘I Could’ve Been World’s Best Batsman’, Makes Gayle Comparisons

Christian Vieri, who enjoyed a glorious career in football, is also very passionate about cricket. The player during his playing days was an integral part of the Italy team. Moreover, he also plied his trade for prominent clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan in Europe. In spite of enjoying enormous success in the sport of football, he is of the opinion that he would have reached greater heights if he picked up cricket as his choice of profession. 

Former Italy football player Christian Vieri compares himself to Chris Gayle 

In his conversation with Stats Perform News, the 47-year-old admitted that he spent more time playing cricket as a grown-up as compared to football. The athlete spent the majority of his childhood in Australia, and he revealed that while he participated in a lot of sporting activities, he was an ardent fan of cricket. 

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The football star mentioned that he would have excelled in white-ball cricket and stated that his approach is quite similar to fellow left-hander Chris Gayle’s. The Italian opined that he could have probably been the best batsman in the world if he played the game professionally. Post his retirement, the player relishes his time off the game by enjoying vintage cricket matches on YouTube. He confirmed that he still watches cricket for three hours of the day. 

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Christian Vieri football career 

The player has featured in 49 matches for the Italian team and has scored 23 times for his national side. The striker was known for his quick and rapid style of playing the game. Christian Vieri, over the years, has also had a successful association with Atlético Madrid, where he also won the Pichichi Trophy for scoring 29 goals in 32 matches. 

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Chris Gayle in IPL 2021 

The West Indies cricketer has emerged as a T20 veteran with his exploits in the shortest format of the game. The swashbuckling batsman has proved his mettle in several franchise-based T20 leagues, and he has played a number of sensational knocks in the Indian Premier League as well. While he enjoyed immense success during his sting with the Royal Challengers Bangalore , he is currently a part of the Kings XI Punjab team. The dynamic southpaw will look to entertain cricket fans with his power-hitting once again in the cash-rich league. 

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Image source: Christian Vieri Instagram   

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