ROME-(MaraviPost)-The former Italy striker Gianluca Vialli has died at the age of 58 following a long time battle with cancer.
The family of the football star made the announcement on Friday, January 6, 2023 in a statement.
According to Skysports, Vialli was first diagnosed with the illness in 2017 and he announced he had undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy in November 2018.
In 2021, he announced that the disease had returned and last year December, he left his role as a coach with Italy to undergo treatment for the pancreatic cancer.
Vialli began his career at Cremonese, before starring in Serie A for Sampdoria and Juventus, and ended his playing career at Chelsea before going into management and coaching.
He scored 16 goals in 59 appearances for Italy and featured in the Azzurri’s 1986 and 1990 World Cup squads.
In 1998 he became player-manager of the Blues following the departure of Ruud Gullit and that year led the club to glory in the League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Vialli announced he had undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy in November 2018, having been diagnosed with cancer one year earlier.
He was initially given the all-clear in April 2020, but in December 2021 he announced the disease had returned.
Throughout his career, the star scooped numerous trophies including four Italian Cups, two Scudetti (one of them, legendary, with Sampdoria), two Italian Super Cups, an FA Cup, an English League Cup, two European Cup Winners’ Cups, a UEFA Cup, a Champions League and a European Super Cup.
Vialli death comes just weeks after the passing of Sinisa Mihajlovic and Brazilian legend Pele and he is survived by his wife Cathryn, whom he married in 2003, and daughters Olivia and Sofia.
