Several friends and former teammates of Gianluca Vialli attended a commemoration mass in honour of the ex-Juventus and Sampdoria striker, with Marco Lanna revealing he dreamed of becoming President of the Blucerchiati.
Vialli’s former teammates gathered on Monday at the Chiesa Parrocchiale di Cristo Re in Cremona, Vialli’s hometown.
Among them were Roberto Bettega, Angelo Peruzzi, Ciro Ferrara, Alessio Tacchinardi, Gianluca Pessotto, Moreno Torricelli, Gianluca Pagliuca, Chicco Evani, Attilio Lombardo, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Marco Branca, Fausto Salsano, Michele Padovano and Pietro Vierchowod.
Some of them spoke to reporters before the ceremony. The funeral of the ex-striker will be held in London this week in a strictly private form.
“He knew Sampdoria deeply and he was supposed to become President if the Americans took over,” said Lanna a former teammate of Vialli at Sampdoria, who won the Serie A title in 1990-91.
Lanna is the current Sampdoria President, appointed in December 2021 after Massimo Ferrero was arrested.
“We spoke many times in the last year, and I used to ask him for advice. He was an important travel companion,” he continued.
“He’s always been an example. He was always positive and transmitted great strength. He was one of the first people I called after I was named [as Samp’s President].
“He was a real manager, he had studied and he was ready to become a President. I always told him that I was keeping his seat warm. It belonged to him. I am sorry he didn’t manage to accomplish his dream.”
“Luca was everything, not only for those who knew him personally but also for his strength and courage during the illness. He was an example for everyone,” added Attilio Lombardo, another Blucerchiati legend and a Champions League winner with Vialli at Juventus in 1996.
“The last time I spoke to him, it was on the phone on December 29 when Roberto [Mancini] visited him in London.”
Ex-Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara said that Vialli “was much stronger off the pitch than on the pitch.
“He surprised me, he was a nice guy, who was always available for the others, and only the great champions do it. Thanks for the journey we did together, Luca.”