'I played for Arsenal and Sporting but almost ruined it all by turning up at match drunk'

'I played for Arsenal and Sporting but almost ruined it all by turning up at match drunk'The former Arsenal star very nearly saw his footballing career ruined after turning up to a Premier League match having gone on a vodka binge the night beforeCommentsSportKieran Horn Digital Sports Journalist11:31, 07 Apr 2026Updated 11:37, 07 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesEmiliano Viviano was contracted to Arsenal for the 2013/14 season (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Former Arsenal and Sporting CP star Emiliano Viviano admitted to nearly playing while drunk. The Italian, who was on loan from Palermo, was Arsene Wenger's third-choice shot-stopper in the 2013/14 season, though he did not make even one appearance.‌However, that may not have been the case had Wojciech Szczesny been forced off during a Premier League match against Everton at Goodison Park, with Viviano - whose former sides meet in the Champions League quarter-finals - opening up on how he was on the bench for that game, roughly 12 hours on from drinking heavily on a night out.‌Back in February, he told Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport: “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.’FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page“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.’‌READ MORE: Sporting Lisbon's true feelings on Viktor Gyokeres after bitter Arsenal transferREAD MORE: Sporting CP vs Arsenal injury news as eight players could miss Champions League clash“It was the only time in my life I almost had a panic attack. I couldn’t see anything and kept repeating to mysel...