Who is Gianluca Vialli? All you need to know about the late Italian football legend

Gianluca Vialli is one of the greatest strikers in football history, Gianluca Vialli's prolific career.

Who is Gianluca Vialli? All you need to know about the late Italian football legend

Gianluca Vialli

Gianluca Vialli was a professional footballer, and former manager. He played for the Italian national team and various top-flight clubs like Juventus, Chelsea, and Sampdoria. The Italian striker had a prolific career, winning multiple silverware in his country, Italy. He won the UEFA Champions League trophy with Juventus in the 1995-96 season and was crucial for the Old Lady in their European glory campaign.

An actual football legend, Vialli passed away at age 58 after losing a hard-fought battle against pancreatic cancer. Italian association confirmed the striker’s departure on the 6th of January, 2023. Gianluca Vialli spent his last days in London. His cancer was being treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea. Despite being given the “all-clear” for cancer in 2020, the late footballer had to be taken to the hospital in December after his condition worsened.

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The iconic footballer made 59 appearances for his national team, scoring 16 goals throughout his career. Vialli was considered one of the most dynamic strikers in the world of football back then. He was known for his consistent form and technical abilities which allowed him to play in multiple attacking positions. The Italian striker was often used as a winger or a number 10 due to his versatility.

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Gianluca Vialli made his professional debut in 1980 for the Italian club Cremonese. Although, his time at Sampdoria gave the footballer the fame he deserved. Vialli scored over 85 goals in 223 appearances in the span of eight years. Serie-A giants Juventus signed the striker in 1992 hoping to end their European drought.

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Gianluca Vialli’s Managerial Career

Gianluca Vialli at the Stamford Bridge

The Italian striker retired from professional football in 1999, playing his last match for Premier League club Chelsea. After a memorable time with the Blues, 33-year-old Vialli became the first Italian manager in the English Premier League. The striker-turned-manager took charge of Chelsea and led them to glory immediately.

Chelsea won the 1999-2000 FA Cup, the 1997-98 League Cup, the 2000 FA Charity Shield, and the 1998 UEFA Super Cup under Gianluca Vialli. The Italian manager won five trophies at the club before joining a lower-division club, Watford, in 2001. Watford sacked Vialli after a year as he failed to deliver results with the club in Division 1.

Gianluca Vialli also contributed to Italian football as a member of the Italian national team’s non-playing staff. For those who don’t know, he had an influential role as Italy’s delegation chief during their 2020 Euro Cup glory. He also spent time doing some punditry after retirement but stepped down from the world of football because of his deteriorating health.

Gianluca Vialli’s Personal Life

Vialli during his time at Cremonese

Born in Cremona, Italy, Vialli was always a football fanatic as he started playing football when he was only nine years old. The footballer claimed to be a self-made millionaire as he saw a lot of poverty while growing up. The footballer lived in Cremora with his four siblings. He changed his family’s life around after receiving his first contract from Cremonese in 1980.

The Italian got married to his long-time love, Cathryn White-Cooper, and spent most of his time in London because of his love for Chelsea. Vialli and Copper have two daughters together, Olivia, and Sofia. The footballer was also a golf enthusiast and participated in European golf tournaments numerous times.

It is a sad day as the sport lost one of its greatest magicians, Gianluca Vialli. The 58-year-old Italian defeated cancer in 2020, but could not fight it for the second time. The footballing legend was rushed to the London hospital by his 82-year-old mother. Unfortunately, neither she nor the doctors could save Vialli.

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