Former Watford manager Gianluca Vialli dies aged 58
It follows a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer
Former Watford manager and Italy striker, Gianluca Vialli, has died aged 58 following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
The former Italy striker also enjoyed huge success as Chelsea manager following his glittering playing career, and was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017.
He announced he had been given the all-clear in 2020, but was re-diganosed with the disease in 2021.
Last month that he had stepped down from his role as Italy's national team delegation chief.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported before Christmas that his 87-year-old mother Maria Teresa and brother Nino had travelled to be with Vialli in a London hospital.
During a 16-year playing career in Italy, Vialli won every major trophy on offer, including Serie A titles with Sampdoria (1991) and Juventus (1995), the Champions League with the latter in 1996, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He was also a four-time Coppa Italia winner.
He scored 16 goals in 59 appearances for Italy, featured in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and helped the Azzurri to a third-place finish at the latter, while his £12.5million transfer from Sampdoria to Juventus in 1992 was a world record fee at the time.
Vialli joined Chelsea in 1996 and helped them win the FA Cup at the end of his first season before guiding the London club to glory in both the League Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup as player-manager the following season.
Chelsea tweeted: "You'll be missed by so many. A legend to us and to all of football. Rest in peace, Gianluca Vialli."