Italian news agency ANSA reported In The Early Hours Of Friday 6/1/2023 that Gianluca Vialli is dead.
After an illustrious career with Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea, and making his 59 appearances for Italy, Vialli was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017. A year later, he was completely cleared, only for his illness to reoccur.
After Sinisa Mihajlovic and Pelé demise, today the italians mourn Gianluca Vialli. The former Cremona, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea forward, at 58, announced last December that he was suspending his contract with the Italian national team due to a complicated health condition.
Vialli has been battling pancreatic cancer since 2018 and has wife Kathryn, whom he married in 2003, and daughters Olivia and Sophia.
Vialli was an exceptional soccer striker with a record of 259 goals in 673 club matches. He also scored 16 goals in 59 appearances as an Azzurro. Vialli earned four Italian Cups, two Scudetti and one Italian Super Cup. Additionally, he won two FA Cups, an English League Cup and two European Cup Winners’ Cups. He also scored the winning goal in the Champions League and European Super Cup.
He also had a brief period as a coach on Chelsea’s training teams (from 1998 to 2000, where he was also a player for six months), winning the League Cup, FA Cup and Charity Shield, and Watford (2001/02).
Since 2019 he is the head of the Italian delegation along with good friend Roberto Mancini. The image of the two embracing each other in tears at Wembley, when Italy was crowned European champions in 2021, has become legendary.
May his soul rest in peace!
