Cape Town – Former Italian soccer star Gianluca Vialli has died from cancer at the age of 58, his former soccer club Sampdoria said on Friday.
Vialli, who enjoyed a stellar career with Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea and earned 59 caps for Italy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017. He was given the all-clear a year later only for the illness to return.
“I know that I probably will not die of old age, I hope to live as long as possible, but I feel much more fragile than before,” Vialli said in a Netflix documentary aired in March 2022.
He described cancer as “a travel companion” that he hoped would eventually leave him in peace, after testing his mettle. “Illness can teach a lot about who you are, and can push you to go beyond the superficial way in which we live,” he said.
Vialli was however forced to step aside from his role as head of a delegation with the Italian national team last month, saying he needed to focus on overcoming a new phase of his disease.
