Former Italian striker Gianluca Vialli has died at the age of 58. Vialli, who played for Chelsea during a stellar career before becoming the club’s manager, had been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Vialli began his career at his hometown club Cremonese before starring in Serie A with Sampdoria and Juventus, and finished his playing career at Chelsea before moving into management and coaching. He scored 16 goals in 59 appearances for Italy and featured in the Azzurri squads at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.
In recent weeks it was announced that Vialli would be stepping down from his role as head of delegation with Team Italy to focus on his treatment for pancreatic cancer.
He had recently met in Italy with head coach Roberto Mancini, his former team-mate at Sampdoria, and Vialli hoped he could resume his role in the national team.
Vialli announced that he had undergone radiation and chemotherapy in November 2018, after being diagnosed with cancer a year earlier. He was initially given credit in April 2020, but in December 2021 he announced that the disease had returned.
Explaining his decision to suspend his participation in Italy, Vialli said on December 14: “The aim is to use all my psychophysical energies to help my body overcome this phase of the disease, to be able to face new adventures as as soon as possible and share them with all of you”.
Sampdoria wrote in an emotional article on Friday: “You gave us so much, we gave you so much: yes, it was love, reciprocal, infinite. A love that will not die with you today. We will continue to love and adore you because, as you well know, you are better than Pelé. And because, despite everything, our beautiful season is destined to never end”.
And they added: “We will remember you as a child and a relentless centre-forward, because heroes are all young and beautiful and you, since that summer of 1984, have been our hero. Strong and beautiful, with that 9 printed on the back and the Italian flag sewn into the heart.”
Chelsea tweeted: “You will be missed by many. A legend for us and all of football. Rest in peace Gianluca Vialli.”