Gianluca Vialli, a former player for Juventus and Chelsea, passed away at the age of 58 after a five-year battle with cancer. In 2017 and again in 2021, Vialli received separate pancreatic cancer diagnoses. Surrounded by his own ones, he passed away last night after a courageous five-year battle with his illness, according to a statement released by his family on Friday.
“We are grateful to all of the people who have shown him love and support over the years. He will always be in our hearts in memory, as will his example. “. Vialli was a member of the coaching staff that guided Italy to victory at Euro 2020, but he stepped down from that position in December to pursue additional treatment. “I know that I probably will not die of old age, I wish to live as long as possible, but I feel much more frail than before,” Vialli had said in a March 2022 Netflix documentary. He referred to the cancer as “a trip companion” that he hoped, after testing his resolve, would finally go.
He remarked, “Illness may challenge you to move beyond the superficial way in which we live and can teach you a lot about who you are.” Gianluca was a fantastic guy and leaves an unfillable vacuum in the national team and in everyone who valued his remarkable human traits, said Gabriele Gravina, head of the Italian Football Federation, after hearing the news on Friday.
In the third and second tiers of Italian football, Vialli first made a name for himself playing for his hometown team Cremonese. In 1984, he moved to Sampdoria, where he helped the team win the Italian Cup three times and have its most prosperous period ever. In 1990, Sampdoria defeated Anderlecht 2-0 to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Vialli scored twice in that game.
In 1991, Sampdoria won the Serie A league for the first and only time thanks in large part to the 19 goals he scored. After a sluggish start at Juventus, Vialli left the Genoa-based team in the summer of 1992. After regaining his scoring touch there, he helped the Turin giants win both the Champions League and the Italian league in 1995.
When the Dutchman Ruud Gullit was fired, he took over as player manager for Chelsea, which he had joined on a free transfer in 1996. Before he too was fired, Chelsea won the FA Cup and the League Cup under Vialli in 1998 and 1999, respectively.
Who was Gianluca Vialli?
Italian football player and manager Gianluca Vialli Commendatore OMRI was a striker. In his native Italy, Vialli began his club career in 1980 at Cremonese, where he made 105 league appearances while scoring 23 goals. After being signed by Sampdoria in 1984 as a result of his impressive performances, he went on to score 85 goals in the league, win three Italian championships, the Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup. In 1992, Vialli joined Juventus for a then-record £12 point 5 million. He won the UEFA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Italian Cup, Serie A, Italian Supercup, and all of these during this time.
Career with Juventus
Vialli joined Juventus shortly after the 1992 European Cup final defeat for a then-record £12.5 million transfer fee. Vialli won the UEFA Cup in his debut season at Juventus while playing under manager Giovanni Trapattoni among players like Roberto Baggio, Pierluigi Casiraghi, Paolo Di Canio, and Andreas Möller, among others. Vialli completed a strenuous fitness and muscle-building training programme after manager Marcello Lippi’s appointment in order to drop weight, enhance his speed, agility, physical strength, and stamina.
Vialli helped Juventus win the Scudetto (his second overall) and the Italian Cup in 1995 by his forceful performance and leadership. He scored 16 goals during the season. Vialli regained his goal-scoring form throughout the campaign.