A Premier League evening in Liverpool almost turned into a disaster that could have ended the career of an Arsenal goalkeeper.
During the 2013/14 season, the Gunners travelled to Everton for a league match. The first-choice goalkeeper was ready, and a substitute was expected to be available. But everything changed at the last moment, when Lukas Fabianski fell ill before the match.
Suddenly, the third goalkeeper had to get ready for the trip. The problem? He hadn't planned on being part of the team at all. It was Emiliano Viviano.
The Italian, now 40, admitted that he had gone out partying with friends the night before and was not expecting a call from the club.
"I went out to party and around 2am I went outside to have a cigarette. There I saw an SMS: 'Fabianski is sick, a car will come to pick you up at 6:30'."
"I had drunk half a bottle of vodka. I went to my friend who owned the nightclub and showed him the message."
“He asked me: 'What now?' I replied: 'Now bring me more vodka.'
"I went home, took a shower and when I arrived in the dressing room at Liverpool, the great Santi Cazorla said to me: 'I smell alcohol, it's disgusting.'
"It was the only time in my life that I almost had a panic attack. I couldn't see anything and I kept telling myself: 'If I have to play, my career is over.'"
Fortunately for Viviano, Wojciech Szczesny played the full 90 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Everton, while the Italian did not feature at all.
He left Arsenal in 2014 without ever making a debut, then joining Sampdoria, where he spent four seasons.Telegrafi
