In the past 24 hours, the world of football has come together to honor the memory of Gianluca Vialli, who tragically passed away on Friday at the age of 58.
The legendary forward enjoyed a historic game between Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea, but the last position he held was that of team coordinator in the Italian team. He had recently vacated his position when his health took a turn for the worse in December.
But during his time with the Azzurri, Vialli witnessed incredible ups and downs alongside his longtime friend and former Sampdoria teammate Roberto Mancini.
For his part, Juventus captain Leonardo Bonucci recounts the pivotal role the late icon had played for the national team, be it during their triumphant Euro 2020 campaign, or after their disastrous elimination from World Cup qualifiers.
“Luca’s figure was essential to restart and rebuild a winning mentality,” said the defender in an interview with La Repubblica through JuventusNews24.
“He gave us something extra with his leadership and charisma. With authority and humility at the same time, when he made the speeches to the team he always left you with a feeling that no one else could have given you.
“Every time we talked, it enriched me. We often found ourselves discussing all the various aspects of life.
“We all knew that he was fighting the disease, but we never saw him fall behind, not even by an inch. When we went down to have breakfast, he was already in the field doing his race, fighting.
“When we failed to qualify for the World Cup, we had to go to Turkey to play a painful game. The next morning, after returning from Palermo, he came up to me and said a few words that I will never forget.
“He told me: ‘Look, Leo, now we are alone in the face of reality and nobody can encourage us, we have to do it ourselves. Think about life: I lived the pinnacle of success and now I have to fight this disease. But I won’t give up and the team must too. It only depends on us. Now that Chiellini is gone, you will become the example for all to follow. And I will be by your side, we will help everyone to rebuild, to bring Italy back to where it deserves to be.”
“The truth is that Vialli had too high a level of intelligence and values to have made a career only as a footballer. He was almost the exception. He was also a fun person.”
