Chelsea and Manchester City will pay tribute to the late Gianluca Vialli this afternoon. The Premier League champions are set to welcome Graham Potter's side to the Etihad Stadium for the FA Cup third round clash, in what is the Blues' first fixture since the Italian's death.
Vialli, who enjoyed spells as both a player and a manager at Stamford Bridge, had been battling pancreatic cancer. The 58-year-old overcame the illness in 2018 before he was given the all-clear in 2020.
Then, in December 2021, the pancreatic cancer returned. In late December, it was reported in Italy that his mother and brother had travelled to the United Kingdom to be with Vialli amid concerns over his health before he sadly passed on Thursday, January 6.
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To pay respects to the former Chelsea icon, there will be a minute's applause before the FA Cup tie with City. Players will also be wearing black armbands and special warm-up t-shirts will be worn.
The away support are also planning to sing Vialli's name in the ninth minute followed by an applause. To honour the Italian, Marco Lanna, president of Italian side Sampdoria and former teammate, has offered his previous clubs a chance to play in a charity tournament in his memory.
As tributes to Vialli flooded in, Lanna told Sky Sports on Thursday: "I want to organise a friendly tournament with Chelsea, Cremonese, Sampdoria and Juventus and donate the proceeds to charity. A 'Luca Vialli trophy' in which the proceeds would go to charity. He was a master at this.
"Sampdoria have always been in his heart. He would often call me to know how things were going and the internal dynamics. He always had a solid bond with this club."
It remains to be seen if the charity event will go ahead and in which format, but the legacy of Vialli will live on. He will be remembered at Chelsea for his time as a player and a manager.
Joining the club in 1996, he scored 21 goals in three-years. He then transitioned into a manager in 1999, helping transform the Blues into the side they are today.
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