Gianluca Vialli, a former striker for Juventus, Chelsea, and Italy who passed away at age 58 from pancreatic cancer, was revealed by his former club Sampdoria on Friday.
Vialli was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, yet he was still in a position to make a substantial contribution to Italy’s 2021 European Championship-winning campaign, working with longstanding Sampdoria strike partner and national coach Roberto Mancini.
“Together, with our developing and searching, successes and dreams, we have come a long way. You arrived as a youngster, but we recognise you as a man “Sampdoria of Genoa stated in their statement.
He established himself in Sampdoria for eight seasons, winning the Serie A championship and European Cup Winners’ Cup, before joining Juventus in 1992 for a then-record 16.5 million euros.
Prior to joining Chelsea in 1996 and transitioning to player-manager in 1998, he won the Champions League with Juventus.
Gianluca Vialli took over when Ruud Gullit was fired in the latter part of the year. He subsequently contributed to Chelsea’s victories in the League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.
He also led Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup final in 2000, but the following year he was fired.
