Serie A greats Christian Vieri and Edgar Davids headed to WA ahead of Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan visit

A pair of Serie A greats and footballing icons are set to head to Perth next week as tickets go on sale for Optus Stadium’s four-team, three-game Italian bonanza. As AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan and Palermo progress their plans for August’s trip to WA, Inter’s Australian-raised great Christian Vieri and former Dutch midfield star Edgar Davids will travel to Perth to kick off preparations for the ‘Calcio Italiano’ pre-season series. Rivals AC Milan and Inter will meet in the first-ever Milan derby held outside Italy on August 5, before Serie A’s two most-successful teams in Juventus and Inter clash on August 8. Juventus will then close out the three-match series against Serie B outfit Palermo, the former club of Socceroos great Mark Bresciano, on August 11. Davids, who won three Serie A titles with Juventus, a Champions League title with Ajax and enjoyed stints with AC Milan, Inter and Barcelona to go with more than 70 games for the Netherlands national team, said he was excited to see his former clubs come together in Perth. “Returning to Australia to launch two important matches of the Juventus Summer Tour is a proud moment,” he said. “Juventus has visited the country before, but this will be our first time in Perth and we are happy to bring the club closer to our fans there. “The passion we feel from supporters across Australia is extraordinary. Their energy strengthens our connection in the region and gives us the chance to share the Bianconeri spirit up close.” Like Davids, Vieri holds the distinction of having played for all three of Italy’s biggest clubs, but it was Inter where he enjoyed his best years, scoring more than 100 goals for Inter after they signed him to a then-world record transfer fee in 1999. But the man who shares the record for most World Cup goals scored by an Italian (nine) might be one of the lost Australian sporting greats, having spent part of his childhood and attended school in Sydney’s west and previously spoken of his love of cricket and Allan Border. Sport and recreation minister Rita Saffioti said she was excited to welcome Vieri and Davids to Perth as tickets for the three games go on sale at 10am on Wednesday. “For local fans, this is a rare opportunity to see global legends of the game up close and be part of something truly special as we count down to August,” she said. “Christian Vieri’s connection to Australia makes this even more meaningful, and it’s a great story for fans here in WA who have grown up loving the game. “Bringing players of this calibre to Perth highlights the strength of our football community and reinforces Western Australia’s reputation as a destination for world-class international sport. Tourism minister Reece Whitby said they were expecting plenty of interstate and overseas fans to snap up tickets to the matches. “Calcio Italiano will add to WA’s winter of unmissable sport and is an example of the Cook Government’s economic diversification strategy, which is expected to draw thousands of out-of-state fans, generate millions of dollars for our State’s economy by supporting local jobs and businesses,” he said. “We know there are highly engaged and motivated fans who follow these teams and they will be prepared to get on planes to come to Western Australia to see their heroes in person. “Once here, we know interstate and overseas visitors often stay longer and travel further to experience our amazing regions.”