Former Chelsea and Italy striker Gianluca Vialli has died at the age of 58 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The Italian, who was part of close friend Roberto Mancini’s coaching staff as Italy won Euro 2020 after a penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley in July last year, passed away last night surrounded by family. Vialli was first diagnosed with the disease in 2017, but was given the all clear in 2020 after treatment at a London hospital.
However, he was told that the cancer had returned last month and stepped down from his coaching role with the Azzurri to fight it for the second time. However, his health deteriorated and he succumbed to his illness last night, less than a week after Brazil legend Pele died from colon cancer and not long after former Lazio star and Bologna head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic died after suffering from Leukaemia.
Vialli enjoyed a glittering career in his native Italy and England, winning every major honour possible. Serie A titles were secured with Sampdoria and Juventus, as was the Champions League with the Bianconeri in 1996. Vialli had already lifted the UEFA Cup Winners Cup with Samp, and added the UEFA Cup with Juve in 1992/93 following his £12.5million transfer to Turin, as well as a Coppa Italia in 1995.
He was lured to Chelsea by Ruud Gullit in 1996 where he added the FA Cup and League Cup to his trophy collection. A further Cup Winners Cup triumph was enjoyed with the Blues as player-manager.
After being sacked by the Stamford Bridge club in 2001, he took over at Watford a year later. That was to prove his final management role as he focused on media work and a sports investment company before joining Mancini on the international stage.
A Chelsea statement mourning their former boss read: “You’ll be missed by so many. A legend to us and to all of football.
“Rest in peace, Gianluca Vialli.”
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