Former Italy striker Gianluca Vialli dies aged 58

 

Image via @Reuters

 

Gianluca Vialli, a former manager and forward for Chelsea who made 59 appearances for Italy, passed away at the age of 58.

He received a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2017, but claimed to be in the clear in April 2020.

In order to concentrate on his health, Vialli abandoned a position with Italy’s national team in December 2022 after receiving a re-diagnosis.

 

“Gianluca was a splendid person and he leaves a void that cannot be filled,” said Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina.

“I hoped until the end that he would be able to perform another miracle. Yet I am comforted by the certainty that what he did for Italian football and the blue shirt will never be forgotten.”

This weekend, all Italian matches will begin with a moment of silence in Vialli’s memory, according to the FIGC.

Vialli made his Italy debut in 1985, a year after moving to Sampdoria, where he spent eight seasons and won the Serie A championship and European Cup Winners’ Cup.