Former Sampdoria and Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli has sadly passed away aged 58 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
The former Chelsea and Italy man revealed in November 2018 that he’d successfully overcame a one-year battle with the disease, which unfortunately returned in December 2021. Vialli joined Roberto Mancini’s Italy set-up in November 2019 as a squad coordinator and remained in his post until December 2022, when he announced he was taking a break to focus on his health.
It was sadly announced today and confirmed by the FIGC that Vialli had died aged 58 due to the pancreatic cancer, which had started to worsen in recent weeks. He was a much beloved figure in Serie A and his loss will be felt in the world of Italian football.
Vialli was particularly close to Mancini, stemming from their time together at Sampdoria, and it’ll be a difficult period for the Azzurri coach, who also lost friend Sinisa Mihajlovic recently due to leukaemia.