Gianluca Vialli
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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Vialli in 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gianluca Vialli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 9 July 1964 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cremona, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 6 January 2023 (aged 58) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.
On his retirement from playing, Vialli went into management and later punditry, and worked as a commentator for Sky Italia. 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.