By Habeeb Kuranga
Italian football legend, Gianluca Vialli has sadly passed on after his brave battle with cancer.
The 58-year-old was Italy’s Team Coordinator in their Euros 2020 triumph, died, five years after first being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.
Vialli had a successful footballing career that started with the Italian club, Cremonese in 1980. He further had spells with both Sampdoria and Juventus where he won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the Scudetto amongst other trophies. He rounded off his career as a footballer in England, where he played for Chelsea FC between 1996 and 1999. He scored 40 goals in 88 appearances for the Blues.
The former Sampdoria and Juventus striker won 59 caps for Italy and scored 16 goals. In totality of his career as a footballer, Vialli plundered 275 goals and provided 46 assists in 732 appearances.
During his days at Chelsea, the Italian took over as player-manager in 1998. Under him, Chelsea won the League Cup, FA Cup, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Gianluca Vialli is survived by his wife Cathryne White Cooper and their two daughters Olivia and Sofia.
