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| | Sunday 6 July, 2008 | | Blog: Give up, Vieri | | Christian Vieri and Marco Ballotta are refusing to retire, but Susy Campanale feels it’s time they hung up their boots gracefully |  |  | | Everything has its time in life and that most definitely includes football players’ careers. Christian Vieri probably should have called it quits two years ago when it became evident he wasn’t fit enough for the World Cup. Or when he signed a contract with Sampdoria and tore it up again without having a single training session. Alternatively after he took Atalanta’s wages for an entire season despite being fit to play just seven games. And then walked out on them for Fiorentina, where he rivalled Luca Toni’s record for missing open goals. Really, any of those would have been a good time to say ‘enough is enough.’
But not our Bobo, oh no, he had to have another stab at… something. Quite what he’s after is a mystery. The 35-year-old has more money than most players and a tasty sideline in a successful clothing firm. This is the man who once said: “If cricket paid as much as football, I would rather have become a professional cricketer.” So why, Vieri, continue putting yourself and us through this ludicrous charade? Is it the adulation you crave? If so, you’re not getting it at Atalanta, a club whose fans staged protests all over the city to dissuade you from signing for a third time.
It has already got to the stage where we are forgetting what made Vieri the world’s most expensive player in the first place. That was nine years ago and, to be honest, it really shows. Just because you can still fit into a lycra jumpsuit doesn’t mean that you should. At any age, you really shouldn’t anyway, but after a certain point it crosses from distasteful to downright scary.
The same goes for Marco Ballotta, who did well enough for a 43-year-old but still made some shocking howlers last season. Lazio tried to drop a hint by not renewing his contract, but still he won’t give in! Enrico Chiesa was one of the best hitmen in Italy before he snapped knee ligaments in 2001, but hasn’t been the same player since. You’d think after no goals in a grand total of 25 appearances over the past two seasons a 37-year-old would consider this the time to stop, but Chiesa has signed for Serie C2 outfit Figline Valdarno. I suppose one cannot begrudge him a hobby.
The most horrifying example of this desperate clinging to a professional career is Lilian Thuram. Having seen at Euro 2008 he was nowhere near the player he was, having been told he could die from a heart defect every time he steps on to the pitch, a fate that has already taken away his brother, still he wants to play on for Paris Saint-Germain. Why put your very life at risk for the sake of one more campaign? What are Thuram, Vieri, Chiesa and Ballotta trying to prove and to whom?
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My goodness, I'm agreeing with you, Susy! That's a shock in it's own right, but alas I do agree with your article. It is indeed time for Vieri to hang up his boots, he is old , too slow & too lazy to have any positive affect on a Serie A team. He had a great career and I'd say his highlight was winning the top scorers’ title in La Liga with Atletico Madrid. His low point was missing the easiest of goals against South Korea (WC2002). He could always go back to Australia and play cricket…
Daniel, Auckland, NZ
What is your problem with Bobo? Why does it bother you that he wants to continue play football? Who are you to say to him to give up? He is the best Italian striker of recent times, he has scored nine goals in two World Cups, but he won less than he should have. Leave the man in peace to end his career as he wishes.
Doros Polycarpou
I must say that I am deeply appalled and offended by the content that has been written. I believe that you should feel guilty at publishing such an article. Has it not occurred to you that Christian Vieri is an adult capable of making his own decisions? Should we not respect such a player for devoting so much to Calcio the way he has? I think for a player who once held the world record for most expensive transfer means that he is pretty important in world football, or would you beg to differ?
Vieri once had the title of Italy's greatest striker, and it certainly showed at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and in between being sold to Inter for £32m. How would you feel if you suffered a serious knee injury and in doing so missed out on Italy's victorious World Cup campaign? How would you feel if you were once this player worth £32m moving to Atalanta working on minimum wage because Calcio was your only love? How would you feel if big teams like Sampdoria and Fiorentina were willing to help you get your career back on track? To answer your concluding sentence of your blog, Vieri is proving to himself that he can still play football after his recent problems and that nothing, not even columnists like you, can deter him from his love and passion of Calcio.
Sure he may not be the top-class striker he used to be, but don't you think Vieri already knows that? He already provided us with great memories and is still striving to create many more, like his first goal for Atalanta in the 2006-2007 season, and you should respect his decisions! I'm sure your parents must have told you "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
Adrian Bucher
While you are lucky enough to be in a career that will allow you to write into your old age, you as well as I know that footballers have a short career even at the best of times. When they give up early, we question their respect for the game as well as their motivation. And when they don't retire, we bombard them with criticism simply because they aren't the players they once were.
Why criticise footballers, who are clearly continuing to play because of their love for the game? Footballers, like journalists, have their critics. You have written for Calcio Italia for over a decade now. Would I be wrong to say that the quality of your articles aren't as good as they once were? Would this change your love for writing? I don't think so. While you are still able to pick up the pen and feel the need to express your opinions about something you love, you are not going to stop writing. It is clear to you and me that neither Vieri or Ballotta continue to play for money. They continue to play because they love the game that has already given them so much. Why criticise while they are still able to play, and still have clubs queuing up for their services?
Rosario
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