Arsenal head to Lisbon for their Champions League quarter-final clash with plenty of shared history, including one player whose career almost derailed due to a boozy night out
12:40, 07 Apr 2026Updated 12:41, 07 Apr 2026
Emiliano Viviano made just one appearance on loan at Arsenal with that coming for the under-21s
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Emiliano Viviano made just one appearance on loan at Arsenal with that coming for the under-21s(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Former Arsenal and Sporting CP goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano feared the end of his career when he almost had to play drunk.
The Italian, whose former sides meet in the Champions League on Tuesday, joined on loan from Palermo and served as Arsene Wenger's third-choice keeper throughout the 2013/14 season. He didn't make a single senior appearance.
That record might well have been different, however, had Wojciech Szczesny been forced off during a Premier League clash against Everton at Goodison Park, as Viviano has opened up on how he found himself on the bench for that fixture, approximately 12 hours after a heavy night out.
Speaking to Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport back in February, he recalled: "I went out partying and around 2am, I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette and read a SMS, 'Fabianski is ill, a car will come to pick you up at 6.30am.'
"I had drunk half a bottle of vodka. I went to my friend who owned the nightclub and showed him the message. He asked, 'What now?' I replied, 'Now bring me more vodka.'
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"I got home, had a shower and when I arrived in the dressing room in Liverpool, the great Santi Cazorla told me, 'You smell of alcohol, it's disgusting.'
"It was the only time in my life I almost had a panic attack. I couldn't see anything and kept repeating to myself, 'If I have to play, my career is over.'"
Mathieu Flamini of Arsenal sits on the bench with Park Chu-Young and Emiliano Viviano of Arsenal
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Viviano was a relieved man to stay on the bench(Image: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
Fortunately for Viviano, he was never called upon, with Szczesny completing the full 90 minutes without incident. The result, however, was a 3-0 defeat for Arsenal at Goodison Park.
He did feature in an Arsenal shirt, though that came in an under-21s fixture where he shipped five goals, according to transfermarkt.
Viviano returned to Palermo following that season before joining Serie A rivals Sampdoria, where he would go on to rack up over 100 appearances. A loan switch to Sporting materialised in 2019, but much like his time at the Emirates Stadium, he failed to register a single outing for the Portuguese club.
Emiliano Viviano in action for Fatih Karagumruk
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Emiliano Viviano had a succesfull spell in Turkiye with Fatih Karagumruk
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He subsequently enjoyed stints at Serie C outfit SPAL, Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk and Ascoli, also based in Italy. He also earned a total of 10 caps for the Italian national side.
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Viviano is amongst a number of players to have turned out for both Sporting and Arsenal, with Viktor Gyokeres, Hector Bellerin, Joel Campbell and Cedric Soares amongst others who have worn both clubs' colours.
The latest instalment in their shared history unfolds on Tuesday evening as the Gunners travel to the Jose Alvalade Stadium for the Champions League quarter-final first leg encounter.
The return fixture takes place the following Wednesday, with Mikel Arteta's outfit aiming to reach back-to-back Champions League semi-finals.