Italy football legend Gianluca Vialli passes away at 58, confirms FIGC

"I am deeply saddened by the news," said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina

Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
IANS Rome
2 min read Last Updated : Jan 06 2023 | 10:52 PM IST

The Italian football legend Gianluca Vialli passed away aged 58 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed on Friday.

Born in 1964, Vialli started his professional career with his hometown club Cremonese, before moving to Sampdoria in 1984, where the hitman shot to fame by winning a Scudetto, three Italian Cups, an Italian Supercoppa and a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

After eight seasons with Samp, Vialli spent four years at Juventus bagging five trophies, including a Scudetto and one Champions League. With Azzurri, he won 59 caps and scored 16 times, making his debut on November 16, 1985 in a friendly against Poland.

Vialli's playing career ended in 1999 after three years in England at Chelsea and started off his coaching career. He joined Italy's coaching group to work alongside his old friend Roberto Mancini, winning the UEFA Championship in 2021, reports Xinhua.

Three weeks ago, Vialli had announced he was to step aside temporarily from his duties with the team in order to "have all his mental and physical energy available to him to help his body fight this stage of his illness".

"I am deeply saddened by the news," said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina.

"I hoped right up until the final seconds that another miracle would appear, yet I'm consoled by what he gave to football in Italy and the Azzurri shirt, and that will always be remembered. Gianluca was a wonderful person and will leave a big hole in the national team and in everyone who knew his extraordinary human qualities," he added.

To remember him, the FIGC has arranged a minute's silence to be observed before all the league's games at the weekend.

--IANS

ak/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :football

First Published: Jan 06 2023 | 10:52 PM IST

Next Story