“Captain Forever”: Italian newspapers pay tribute to Gianluca Vialli

Italian newspapers have reacted to the death of former Juventus and Chelsea star Gianluca Vialli on Friday aged 58 after a battle with cancer.

La Stampa paid tribute to the former Juventus skipper, calling him “Captain forever” and describing him as a “role model for everyone”.

Meanwhile, La Gazzetta dello Sport called Vialli “one of the most popular”. [footballers] ever” and paid tribute to him alongside the other recent deaths in sport: “The world of football is still in mourning. After the death of Sinisa Mihajlovic from Pele, another great champion, Gianluca Vialli, passed away in London today.”

Former Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has passed away at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer

La Repubblica dubbed Vialli a “champion” and said Vialli’s “greatest joy” came from working with the national team as they clinched the European title that eluded him during his playing career.

Having started his career in Italy’s lower leagues with local club Cremonese, Viali only came to prominence after his move to Sampdoria, where he formed a successful forward partnership with future Premier League coach Roberto Mancini.

Viali’s efforts for the Blucerchiati earned him a national team call-up and also earned him the first of two Serie A titles during his playing career, three Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

Vialli (L) pictured with Italy coach Roberto Mancini (R) after their victory in the 2021 European Championship final – there was love and friendship in that embrace

Vialli and Mancini when the two played together at Italian club Sampdoria

After joining Juventus for a then-world-record fee of £12.5million, Vialli became a fixture with the old lady in the early 1990s, collecting plenty of silverware before leading the club to their second Champions League win before he ended his playing career at Chelsea.

During his time as manager at Stamford Bridge, Vialli won both the FA and League Cups domestically and won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup on the continent.

Despite his cancer diagnosis in 2017, Vialli continued his work in football, acting as head of delegation for the Italy national team to work alongside his former strike partner Mancini.