MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 13:57:11| >> :60:609:609:

Former Chelsea, Italy striker Gianluca Vialli dies, aged 58

Former Chelsea, Italy striker Gianluca Vialli dies, aged 58
© Reuters
Former Italy, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli dies at the age of 58 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Former Italy, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has died at the age of 58 following a long battle with cancer.

Vialli was initially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018, and was given the all-clear in April 2020 only for the disease to return in 2021.

The former Italy international's condition worsened in the lead-up to Christmas, and he has now passed away at the age of 58.

Vialli played in two World Cups for the Azzurri, in 1986 and 1990, helping them to a third-placed finish in the latter on home soil.

The striker ended his seven-year international career with 19 goals in 59 appearances for his country.

At club level, Vialli began his career at Cremonese in the third tier of Italian football before earning his move to Sampdoria in 1984.

At Sampdoria, he scored 141 goals in 327 games, helping the club to enjoy their greatest ever period, during which they won their only Serie A title, three of their four Coppa Italia crowns, their solitary Cup Winners' Cup and their only Supercoppa Italiana.

Italy delegation chief Gianluca Vialli celebrates after winning Euro 2020© Reuters

Indeed, Vialli fired Sampdoria to six of the seven top-tier trophies the club have ever won in their history, as well as leading them to their only European Cup final, which they lost in 1992.

The forward's goalscoring exploits saw Juventus spend a world-record fee of £12.5m for him in 1992, and he went on to add another Serie A, Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup, Champions League and Supercoppa Italia to his trophy cabinet in Turin.

In doing so, Vialli secured a unique place in football history as the only forward to have won the three main European club competitions of Champions League, UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup, as well as the only player to have both won and finished as a runner-up in all three of those competitions.

Vialli then moved to Chelsea in 1996, winning the FA Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge before becoming player-manager and leading the Blues to League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup glory.

The Cremona-born striker scored the winning goal in his final playing appearance in 1999 and then went on to lead Chelsea to another FA Cup triumph in 2000.

Vialli then spent a brief spell in charge of Watford, and most recently was helping Italy during their victorious Euro 2020 campaign before having to step down from that role to focus on his cancer treatment.

ID:503607:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3657:
Written by
Barney Corkhill

Click here for more stories about Gianluca Vialli

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool forward Luis Suarez and Chelsea defender John Terry in action during the 2012 FA Cup final.
Read Next:
Liverpool vs. Chelsea: A look back at their FA Cup head-to-heads
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
Read more about Gianluca Vialli Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!