Beloved striker Gianluca Vialli has passed away at age 58. He battled pancreatic cancer for the last five years. His conditions worsened in late December, forcing him to step down from his Italy role and to be hospitalized in a London clinic, Corriere della Sera informs.
The iconic striker shared the Euro 2020 victory with his longtime friend Roberto Mancini. They formed a devastating duo at Sampdoria. Their run culminated in the Scudetto in 1991 and in reaching the Champions League final the following season, where Barcelona defeated the Blucerchiati.
Vialli transferred to Juventus in 1992, where he lifted the most prestigious club competition in 1996 as the captain. The final act of his career, which had started at Cremonese, took place at Chelsea, for which he became player-manager in February 1998. He retired later that year to be the full-time coach and helmed the Blues until 2000. After a short stint at Watford, he turned into a pundit until he accepted the offer by the Italian federation in 2019.
The forward was one of the most decorated players of his era. He won the Scudetto and the Supercoppa Italiana twice, the Coppa Italia five times, plus the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup on two occasions, the UEFA Cup and Supercup, and the EFL and FA Cup once, on top of the Champions League. His run of success continued with five more domestic and international trophies on the Chelsea bench. He was Serie A’s capocannoniere in 1990/1991. He accumulated 59 caps with Italy, highlighted by the third-placed finish in the 1990 World Cup.
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