Gianluca Vialli, a former Chelsea striker and ex-Italian international, died at the age of 58 from pancreatic cancer, which he had battled since 2017.
Vialli was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer for the first time in 2017 and again in 2021, shortly after Italy’s Euro 2020 victory. He resigned from his position with Italy in December, citing the need for treatment for the disease.
Vialli, who won the Champions League with Juventus in 1996, died in the early hours of January 6th. He was a member of Roberto Mancini’s coaching staff during Italy’s Euro 2020 victory, but he was forced to resign after cancer returned in 2021.
The deaths of Pele and Sinisa Mihajovic have left an open wound in the hearts of football fans, and the death of another legend has added to the pain.
Vialli, who was born in the city of Cremona, began his football career at Cremonese, where he won promotion to Serie B, attracting interest from various clubs.
He joined Sampdoria in 1984 and was paired with his close friend and Italian coach Roberto Mancini and were nicknamed ‘The Goal Twins’.
After a successful career at Sampdoria, he went on to join Juventus in Turin.
When Juventus defeated Ajax in the Champions League final in 1996, he won the prestigious European trophy.
After winning the Champions League in 1996, he joined English club Chelsea as part of Blues coach Ruud Gullit’s rebuilding of the team.
He retired as a sporting legend in 1999, having scored 259 goals in 673 club appearances.
