Gianluca Pessotto paid tribute to his former Juventus teammate Gianluca Vialli. ‘He had the best way to build a strong winning mentality.’
Juventus-Udinese kicks off at 17.00 GMT at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin.
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There will be a minute’s silence before kick-off for Juve, Sampdoria, Cremonese and Chelsea legend Gianluca Vialli.
One of his teammates in the Juventus side that won the Champions League in 1996 was Pessotto, who now works with the Bianconeri behind the scenes.
“This is not a game like the others. A unique person has left us, who inspired many youngsters,” Pessotto told DAZN.
“I won’t deny that when I joined Juventus in 1995, one of the first people I ran into was Gianluca. I was 24 years old, but seeing an icon of Italian football close up was so exhilarating.
“He was a wonderful teammate, a leader, and his search of perfection was contagious, so we all tried not to make mistakes even in training.
“He was someone who expected a lot of himself and from others, which is the best way to build a strong winning mentality around you.
“Above all, he really believed in the importance of teamwork.”
Vialli passed away on January 6 at the age of 58, having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several years ago.
The striker started out at his hometown club Cremonese, moving on to Sampdoria in 1984, then Juventus in 1992 before finishing his playing career at Chelsea.
He also amassed 59 senior caps for Italy and became a key figure in Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri staff during the EURO 2020 triumph.