I think he matured fairly early for a player of his age, accepting his limitations and not trying too hard to show off the incomplete side of his in hope of impressing fans. He knows what he can do and he knows that he is pretty exceptional at it. Get the ball to him 3 times in a match and he will score at least one goal. The first part of that sentence seems so easy in theory yet in practice not so much.
I love Vieri, my first football shirt as a kid in early elementary school was his #32, used to celebrate the goals the same way he did when I played with friends. I think he is more iconic for sure, but that also requires some time to pass. On the other hand, no players nowadays can reach the iconic status of players of that bygone era. We live in the time of fast food type of football. It's meant to be consumed, not enjoyed.
I just wish the dual attack of Vieri/Adriano was effective, to this day I don't quite get why it couldn't work though I have yet to really rewatch the old games.