Former Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has died at the age of 58 from pancreatic cancer, his former club Sampdoria announced on Friday.
Vialli was diagnosed with cancer back in 2017 but was still managed to play a crucial role in helping Italy’s European Championship title-winning campaign in 2021, assisting long-time Sampdoria strike partner and national coach Roberto Mancini.
In the eight years he played for Sampdoria in Genoa, he won the Serie A title and the European Cup Winners’ Cup before joining Juventus for a then-world-record 16.5 million euros in 1992.
Ciao Gianluca pic.twitter.com/C9P8oVLSnR
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 6, 2023
Vialli went on to win the Champions League with Juventus before joining Chelsea in 1996 and becoming player-manager in 1998.
You’ll be missed by so many. A legend to us and to all of football.
Rest in peace, Gianluca Vialli. 💙 pic.twitter.com/mNJPDkCSYO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 6, 2023
