The New Year began on a deeply sad note with the death of Gianluca Vialli, one of Italian football’s most successful and best-loved sons. The ex-Cremonese, Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker died in London on January 6, at the age of 58.
Italian clubs, fans and VIPs, starting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, came together in an outburst of mourning as the nation celebrated the memory of a man who was more than just a great footballer. He had also won the admiration of Italians for the open and courageous way in which he had battled with pancreatic cancer since first being diagnosed in 2018.
Those sentiments were echoed by much of the international football community, with many clubs around the world – starting with Chelsea and Juventus – celebrating his memory with a minute’s silence and the wearing of his iconic number nine shirt during their pre-match warm-ups.
In his homeland, Vialli experienced two prolonged moments of intense fame and popularity: first in the late1980s and throughout the ’90s, when he was considered one of the best strikers
