Gianluca Vialli OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanˈluːka ˈvjalli]; 9 July 1964 – 6 January 2023) was an Italian football player and manager who played as a striker. Vialli started his club career at his hometown club Cremonese in 1980, where he made 105 league appearances and scored 23 goals. His performances impressed Sampdoria, who signed him in 1984 and with whom he scored 85 league goals, won three Italian cups, Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup.

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Gianluca Vialli
OMRI

Vialli in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Gianluca Vialli[1]
Date of birth	(1964-07-09)9 July 1964[2]
Place of birth	Cremona, Italy[2]
Date of death	6 January 2023(2023-01-06) (aged 58)
Place of death	London, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1973–1978	Pizzighettone
1978–1980	Cremonese
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1980–1984	Cremonese	105	(23)
1984–1992	Sampdoria	223	(85)
1992–1996	Juventus	102	(38)
1996–1999	Chelsea	58	(21)
Total		488	(167)
International career
1982–1986	Italy U21	20	(11)
1985–1992	Italy	59	(16)
Managerial career
1998–2000	Chelsea
2001–2002	Watford
Medal record Men's football Representing  Italy (as assistant manager) UEFA European Championship Winner 2020 Representing  Italy (as player) FIFA World Cup 1990 UEFA European Championship 1988
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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In 1992, Vialli transferred to Juventus for a world record £12.5 million. During his time at the Turin club, he won the Italian Cup, Serie A, Italian Supercup, UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. In 1996, Vialli joined Chelsea and became their player-manager the following season. In England, he won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup. He is one of nine footballers to have won the three main European club competitions and the only forward to have done so; he is also the only player in European footballing history to hold both winners and runners-up medals in all three mainstream UEFA club competitions, including two winners medals for the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The closest to him is Dennis Bergkamp, who is missing a winners medal from the UEFA Champions League from the set (and holds two UEFA Cup winners medals).

At international level, Vialli represented the Italy national team in two FIFA World Cups, in 1986 and (on home soil) in 1990. He also took part at UEFA Euro 1988, helping his nation to a semi-final finish, and was elected to the team of the tournament. During his twenty-year-long career as a professional footballer, he scored 259 goals at club level, 16 goals with the national team, and 11 goals with the Italy national under-21 football team, for a total of 286 goals in more than 500 appearances, making him the tenth-highest scoring Italian player in all competitions.^[3]

On his retirement from playing, Vialli went into management and later punditry, and worked as a commentator for Sky Italia.^[4] He was part of the Italy national team non-playing staff as a delegation chief when they won UEFA Euro 2020; he stepped back from this role days before his death from cancer.^[5]

Vialli was a member of Italy's under-21 team for both the 1984 and 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championships where the Azzurrini finished third and second respectively. Overall Vialli represented the Italy U21 team 20 times, scoring 11 goals.^[50] He was also the top scorer in the 1986 Under-21 European Championship, with 4 goals, where Italy lost the final to Spain on penalties.^[51]

In 1985, Vialli made his debut for the Italy senior team in a friendly match against Poland. He was included in Italy's squad for the 1986 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico, appearing with an all-shaved head as a substitute in all four of Italy's matches as back-up for Bruno Conti.^[52][53]

Vialli scored his first goal for Italy in a UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier against Malta in 1986. He was included in Italy's squad for the finals of the Euro 1988 competition and scored the winning goal against Spain in the group stage. Although Italy were knocked out by the Soviet Union in the semi-final after losing 0–2, Vialli was named in UEFA's team of the tournament.^[54]

With the 1990 FIFA World Cup being held on home soil, Vialli named part of the squad^[55] and he was expected to make a huge impact for the hosts.^[56] However, after failing to score in the first match against Austria, despite setting up the winning goal via a cross,^[57][58] Vialli missed a penalty against the United States in the next match, hitting the lower near post with keeper Tony Meola diving the other way; he did play a role in the decisive goal, however, scored by Giuseppe Giannini, with his dummy on Roberto Donadoni's pass, following a team move.^[57][59][60] He was subsequently dropped from the team in favour of the attacking duo of Roberto Baggio and Salvatore Schillaci, the latter of whom had scored the winning goal against Austria from Vialli's assist, after appearing as a substitute.^[57] Vialli returned to the team for the semi-final against Argentina and played a role in Italy's opening goal after his shot on goal was blocked by Argentina keeper Goycochea and the rebound fell to Schillaci. He was substituted in the second half as Italy were eliminated on penalties, eventually finishing the tournament in third place.^[61] Because Italy assigned jersey numbers alphabetically to players for the World Cup (beginning with defenders, then midfielders, and finally attackers) Vialli wore the number 21 during the World Cup. Overall, he finished the tournament with 2 assists, which were both provided for the golden boot winner Schillaci;^[62]

Vialli returned to lead Italy's attack during the qualifying games to the Euro 1992 Championship under Vicini, scoring in Italy's 3–1 win over Hungary and 2–0 win over Cyprus. However, Italy missed out on qualifying after finishing second behind the Soviet Union in Group 3.

Vialli made his last appearance for the Azzurri in December 1992; his strained relationship with coach Arrigo Sacchi brought his international career to a premature end, despite his club success during the 1990s.^[63] It is rumoured that Vialli played a prank on Sacchi, which was the reason for his dropping from the national team.^[64][65][66]

Overall, Vialli made 59 appearances for Italy, scoring 16 goals.^[67][68]

Considered one of the best and most consistent Italian strikers of his generation, Vialli was a complete, dynamic, determined, and versatile forward, who was capable of playing anywhere along the front line; throughout his career, he was played on the wing, or in a deeper, supporting role, although his preferred position was in the centre as a main striker, where he could best take advantage of his offensive movement and opportunism inside the box, as well as his keen eye for goal.^[69][70][71] A prolific goalscorer, Vialli was known for his shooting power and accuracy with both feet as well as his head, which allowed him to finish off chances both inside and outside the penalty area.^[18]

In addition to his ability to score goals, Vialli was also capable of playing off of and creating chances for his teammates, courtesy of his good vision, tactical intelligence, and distribution, which also occasionally saw him play in deeper roles in midfield, as a playmaker or attacking midfielder; he was also endowed with good technical ability, dribbling skills, and ball control, which allowed him to play the ball first time, or beat opponents and retain possession under pressure.^[18][69][72] A quick, tenacious, hardworking, and energetic player, Vialli was gifted with pace, physicality, and stamina, and was known for his willingness to press opponents off the ball to win back possession.^[18] Vialli was seen as a new breed of striker in Italian football, who combined technique and goalscoring ability with speed, athleticism, and physical power.^[18]

Because of his outstanding athleticism, strength, and agility, he also excelled in the air, and had a penchant for scoring acrobatic goals from volleys and bicycle kicks, which led his Juventus manager Marcello Lippi and president Gianni Agnelli at the time to praise him and compare him to legendary Italian striker Gigi Riva.^[18][69][73] In addition to his footballing skills, he was also highly regarded for his dedication, leadership qualities, strong mentality, and his charismatic influence on the pitch.^[18][70] Marino Bortoletti of Treccani described Vialli as a "modern striker, gifted with power and style", and as "the most representative player of his generation", along with compatriots Roberto Baggio and Franco Baresi.^[74]

In 2006, Vialli released The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures, co-written with his close friend and football journalist, Gabriele Marcotti. Written over a period of two-and-a-half years from November 2003 until early 2006, the book discusses the differences between English and Italian football. He also attributes his tendency to play as a wide attacker to playing on a field that was short and wide as a young boy.^[75] Vialli donated the proceeds of the book to the "Fondazione Vialli e Mauro per la ricerca e lo sport", which is a charitable foundation he founded together with former player Massimo Mauro to raise funds for research into cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).^[76]

From the late 2000s Vialli worked as a TV football commentator for Sky Italia.^[4] In 2007, he was linked with a move to the manager's position at Queens Park Rangers, following the club takeover by Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and the dismissal of John Gregory as manager, but ultimately declined any interest in the job.^[77] During Euro 2012, he appeared as a pundit for the BBC's coverage of the tournament.^[78]

Vialli, alongside ex-Morgan Stanley and -Goldman Sachs investment banker Fausto Zanetton, co-founded Tifosy, a sports investment platform,^[79] with the aim of allowing anybody to invest in professional sports. Zanetton, its CEO, explained that "whilst there is an incredible passion and willingness to invest in sports, there is currently no way to do so for the average fan or investor...You no longer need to be a billionaire to invest in professional sports clubs."^[80] At Web Summit 2016, Vialli discussed his latest venture with Tifosy.

In October 2019, Vialli was appointed new delegation chief of the Italy national football team under head coach and personal friend Roberto Mancini (his former teammate and striking partner at Sampdoria), a position unfilled since Gigi Riva's retirement in 2013.^[81] On 11 July 2021, Italy won UEFA Euro 2020 after a 3–2 victory in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw after extra-time against England in the final.^[82]

He was born into a wealthy family, being raised in the 60-room Castello di Belgioioso in Cremona. His father is a "self-made millionaire";^[83] it is often reported that his father is a billionaire but this was denied by his mother.^[84] He married Cathryn White-Cooper on 26 August 2003 and fathered two daughters, Olivia and Sofia.^[85] Vialli was a keen golfer and played at the Dunhill links championship pro-am event. He continued to live in the SW6 postcode of London 20 years after leaving Chelsea F.C.^[86]

In November 2018, Vialli revealed that he had successfully overcome a year-long illness with pancreatic cancer.^[87][88] He was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.^[22] He was given the all-clear from pancreatic cancer in April 2020,^[89] but in December 2021 revealed that he had been diagnosed with the disease for a second time.^[90] He died on 6 January 2023, in the Royal Marsden Hospital, at age 58.^[91][92]

On 9 September, Chelsea played a legends match against Bayern Munich – a rematch of the 2012 Champions League Final – at Stamford Bridge in Vialli's memory. Chelsea won 4–0 with proceeds benefiting The Chelsea Foundation and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.^[93]