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Gianluca Vialli, who died at the age of 58, was a soccer pop star. Italian football will be in mourning after the death of its ‘Lion King’. How sad that a man who falls in love with soccer passes so young.
If we wanted to sum up Vialli’s career, we could do it with that emotional hug after the victory in the Euro 2021 final – in that hug with Roberto Mancini there was love and friendship between two brothers from different mothers who lived a large part of their lives together.
One of the few men to have served as player-manager at a major club during his time at Chelsea, Gianluca might be a prickly and snobbish man, but he was full of heart and emotion.
Gianlucca Vialli with his wife Cathryn White-Cooper, whom he married in August 2003.
Italian soccer legend Vialli has died at the age of 58 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
His greatest merit was showing his face to everyone in pain, teaching dignity and respect because the disease he suffered from is not something to be ashamed of.
Vialli wouldn’t want tears at his funeral and would be upset if he saw them trickle down his fans’ cheeks.
He always smiled, he always hid the pain and melancholy of the pancreatic cancer he suffered because for him life was a continuous dance between a football game and dinner.
Talking about her battle with cancer last year summed up that trait perfectly.
“I was a player and a strong but also fragile man and I think someone who could recognize himself. I am here with my defects, fears and desire to do something important.
Vialli (left) pictured with Italy coach Roberto Mancini (right) after their victory in the 2021 European Championship final: in that hug there was love and friendship.
“I’m not having a battle with cancer because I don’t think I can win it, it’s a much stronger opponent for me. Cancer is an unwanted travel companion, but I can’t help it.
He got on the train with me and I have to keep going, traveling with my head down, never giving up, hoping that one day this unwanted guest will get tired and let me live in peace for many more years because there are still many things I want. do.’
He loved jokes and he loved to laugh, as when he hid a piece of soft cheese in Arrigo Sacchi’s handkerchief at the Italian national team’s training camp, laughing at his coach’s outrage.
The former Italian soccer star is a character that transcends generations, he has made young and old fall in love, he has created unity where there was division before, managing to unite everything with his bright eyes and his beautiful smile.
Football has been impoverished without its ‘Lion King’ and Vialli was full of heart and emotion
During his career, Vialli played with some of the greatest players of all time.
From Baggio to Del Piero, from Desailly to Ciro Ferrara, from Mihajlovic to Peruzzi, from Vierchowod to Cerezo and he gave each of them a small part of his happy and passionate world, of his fast and exciting way of life upon entering their hearts.
Vialli was a tamer of emotions who knew how to handle problems and people and who knew how to look cancer in the face, laughing and crying with it.
Vialli’s legacy is not only sporting but also spiritual because he embraced the disease simply trying to do as much as he could while suffering.
Very soon he realized that he could not fight it, but had to learn to live with it as long as possible.
Vialli was a man so intelligent as to understand that the fight had to be on the field to win a game, but outside the green grass it was enough to have patience and a lot of attention to face the problems.
Vialli knew how to embrace his illness and leaves a sporting and spiritual legacy
10 percent of life consists of unpredictable events, the remaining 90 percent is a gym where you learn to deal with unpleasant events.
Vialli decided to cut his hair out of respect and love for his teammate Andrea Fortunato, who fell ill with leukemia when they both played for Juventus. That was Vialli, a man of few words but very meaningful and profound gestures.
When Juventus won the 23rd Scudetto again, with his superb performance at ‘Delle Alpi’ in the 4-0 win against Parma, after a goal he ran to hug a young ball boy who had approached him to celebrate.
Vialli was a 9 with the lungs of an 8 and the intelligence of a 10. The former Juventus star was an Italian worthy of glory, and he showed it around the world.
His elegance and his excellent restaurant, based in London, echoed the great beauty of Vialli, who was above all an example of love and discipline.
As a child he loved to play with colors and styles of fashion. In Italy, he was one of the first footballers to become a sex symbol with an earring and light blonde hair when he played for Sampdoria.
The Italian enjoyed a brilliant career in which he achieved all his objectives and goals throughout
All the girls loved him because he was against conformity. After victories with Juventus, he loved to invite his teammates to his house and smoke a cigarette, while he participated in karaoke.
It was a star but it shone brighter than all the other stars in the sky without ever arousing envy.
Vialli has achieved all the objectives in his career as a player and as a man. He won it all with Juventus and enjoyed the experience of a stage abroad.
He married his wife Cathryn White Cooper in 2003 and had beautiful daughters, he won and lost, but he always claimed to have learned something new to enrich his great experience.
The Italian also balanced the coach-player role at Chelsea, an unprecedented challenge.
Her dying wish was betrayed by the tragic events of her illness. Vialli wanted to return to the world of football and dreamed of leading the Sampdoria project, one of the teams he loved the most along with Juventus and Chelsea, but time did not allow it.
He would have liked to be the heir to the historic president Mantovani at the head of the club that he has always defined as an important part of his family.
Now we need to honor his love story with football, we need to gather around his beautiful family and remember him every day, running and working for him too.
Without asking anyone for permission, Vialli spread a beautiful message of love and understanding towards life.