January 06, (THEWILL) – Chelsea and Italy legend, Gianluca Vialli, has died at the age of 58.
In his active days, Vialli played for Cremonese, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea at club level, and was a regular goalscorer in Serie A during the 1980s and 1990s.
He won Serie A titles with Sampdoria and Juventus, and captained Juve to their Champions League victory in 1996. Vialli also played for the Italian national team at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.
After retiring as a player, he managed Watford and became a part of Roberto Mancini’s coaching staff as the new delegation chief in the Italian national team set-up. Italy went on to win the Euro 2020 tournament, defeating England in the final at Wembley.
Vialli had been diagnosed and had beaten pancreatic cancer before the illness returned in late 2022.
A statement from Sampdoria said: “You gave us so much, we gave you so much: yes, it was love, reciprocal, infinite. A love that will not die today with you.”
Juventus added: “We are not original in confessing that we don’t know how to get on in a world without Gianluca Vialli, even though we know that, as we have always been with you, now it will be you, forever with us.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
