Former Italy and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli dies aged 58

Former Italian soccer player Gianluca Vialli died of cancer at the age of 58, his former club Sampdoria said on Friday.

Vialli, who played for Sampdoria, Juventus, and Chelsea and earned 59 caps for Italy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017. A year later, he was given the all-clear, only for the sickness to resurface.

"I know that I probably will not die of old age, I hope to live as long as possible, but I feel much more fragile than before," Vialli said in a Netflix documentary aired in March 2022.

He described cancer as "a travel companion" that he hoped would eventually leave him in peace, after testing his mettle. "Illness can teach a lot about who you are, and can push you to go beyond the superficial way in which we live," he said.

Vialli was forced to step down as chairman of an Italian national team delegation last month, citing the need to focus on overcoming a new phase of his sickness.

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

Vialli had been reunited with national coach Roberto Mancini, a lifelong friend and strike partner when they both played for Sampdoria, where they were known as "the goal twins," while working with the Italy squad.

Vialli and Mancini led Italy to the Euro 2020 tournament in 2021, collecting the championship in Wembley Stadium, where their Sampdoria squad had lost the European Cup final to Barcelona 29 years before.

They celebrated last year with a tearful embrace that "was more beautiful than the hugs we used to give each other when I passed him the ball and he scored goals," Vialli said in a TV interview with Italy's RAI in November.

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