Christian Vieri tells of laid-back approach while at Atlético Madrid | OneFootball

Christian Vieri has revealed that his professional standards dropped a little during his season with Atlético Madrid in the 1990s.

The former Italy international enjoyed great success during his one year with Juventus in 1996/97, winning the UEFA Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the Scudetto.

He was subsequently sold to Atleti, where the striker says his approach was much more laid back than at the Old Lady.

Speaking on Instagram Live (via Marca), the 46-year-old said: “At Juventus, I was a great professional.

“In Madrid, I went out every night. I wasn’t alone, everyone went out. I couldn’t stay at home alone. In any case, I was the top scorer.

“Sometimes we went to dinner a little late, then had a drink and a walk.”

The less disciplined lifestyle didn’t seem to affect Vieri’s performance, as he notched 29 goals in 31 games, including scoring 24 goals in as many appearances in the 1997/98 La Liga season.

As was the case so often during the much-travelled Bologna native’s career, he didn’t stay long with Los Rojiblancos.

A combination of his form for Atlético and his performances for the Azzurri at the 1998 World Cup saw Atleti almost double their money by selling him to Lazio for €25m.