Gianluca Vialli

Gianluca Vialli

Gianluca Vialli with Sampdoria during the 1991–92 season.
Personal information
Full name Gianluca Vialli
Date of birth (1964-07-09) 9 July 1964
Place of birth Cremona, Italy
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Striker
Youth career
1973–1978 Pizzighettone
1978–1980 Cremonese
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1984 Cremonese 105 (23)
1984–1992 Sampdoria 223 (85)
1992–1996 Juventus 102 (38)
1996–1999 Chelsea 58 (21)
Total 488 (167)
National team
1983–1986 Italy U21 20 (11)
1985–1992 Italy 59 (16)
Teams managed
1998–2000 Chelsea
2001–2002 Watford

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Gianluca Vialli (born 9 July 1964) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played as a striker. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia.[1]

Vialli started his club career at Cremonese in 1980 in his native Italy where he made 105 league appearances scoring 23 goals. His performances impressed Sampdoria who signed him in 1984. During which time he scored 85 league goals, won 3 Italian cups, the Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup. Vialli transferred to Juventus for a World record £12.5 million in 1992. During this time he won the Italian Cup, the Serie A, Italian Supercup, UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. In 1996 Vialli joined Chelsea and became Chelsea player manager the following season. In England he won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup. He is one of ten footballers to have won the three main European club competitions, and the only forward to have done so; he is also the only player in European footballing history to have both winner's and runner's up medals in all three main European club competitions.

At international level, Vialli represented Italy at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where Italy finished in third-place on home soil. He also took part at UEFA Euro 1988, helping his nation to a semi-final finish, and was elected to the team of the tournament. During his twenty years long career as a professional footballer he scored 259 goals at club level, 16 goals with the national team, and 11 goals with the Italy national under-21 football team, for a total of 286 goals in more than 500 appearances.

Club career

Cremonese

Vialli's career started in 1980 when, he signed for local club Cremonese in Serie C1, winning promotion to Serie B. After scoring ten goals for the club in the 1983–84 Serie B season, he was transferred to Sampdoria.

Sampdoria

At Sampdoria he formed a prolific strike partnership with team mate and childhood friend Roberto Mancini, earning the nickname The Goal Twins. With Vialli at his best, Sampdoria had the most successful era in its history. They won their first ever Serie A championship in the 1990–91 season, in which Vialli was league top scorer with 19 goals - celebrating many of his goals with a backflip, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1990) – where he scored both goals in the 2–0 win over Anderlecht in the final (once again finishing the tournament as top-scorer), and three Italian Cups (in 1985, 1988 and 1989), also setting a record of 13 goals in a single edition of the Coppa Italia during his time at the club. They also won a Supercoppa Italiana, and reached the final of the UEFA Supercup, and the European Cup final in 1992, losing to Johann Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team" of Spain 1–0.[2]

Juventus

Vialli moved to Juventus shortly after the 1992 European Cup final loss for a world record fee of £12.5million.[3] Vialli won the UEFA Cup in his first season with Juventus playing alongside Roberto Baggio. He won another Scudetto and Italian Cup with Juve in 1995, scoring 16 goals during the season, but Juve were denied a treble after defeat in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final to Parma, despite Vialli scoring a spectacular second leg goal. He ended his time in Turin by captaining the side to a Supercoppa Italiana victory and a Champions League final win over defending champions Ajax Amsterdam in 1996, playing alongside Del Piero and Fabrizio Ravanelli.[4] During his four seasons with the club he totaled 102 appearances, scoring 38 goals.[5]

Chelsea

Vialli joined Chelsea in the summer of 1996 on a free transfer as part of manager Ruud Gullit's rebuilding of the side. The team won the FA Cup in Vialli's first season, with the Italian scoring two goals in a 4–2 comeback over Liverpool in the fourth round.[6] However, a feud with Gullit saw him regularly left out of the starting line-up; in the final itself he was limited to a five-minute appearance as a late substitute.

During the 1997–98 season, Vialli scored four goals in a league win over Barnsley and a hat-trick against Norwegian side Tromsø in the Cup Winners' Cup, but still could not cement his place in the side under Gullit. However, following Gullit's dismissal in 1998, Vialli assumed the role of a player-manager, winning the Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, and the League Cup. He followed these victories up by a 1998 UEFA Super Cup victory over UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.

Vialli retired from professional football at the end of the 1998–99 season to focus on his position as Chelsea's manager.[7] He made his last professional appearance in Chelsea's final match of the 1998–99 Premier League, scoring the winning goal against Derby County at Stamford Bridge.[8]

Managerial career

Chelsea

Gullit was sacked in February 1998 and 33-year-old Vialli was appointed player-manager, becoming the first Italian to manage in the Premier League.[9] Chelsea were already in the semi-finals of the League Cup and the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup, and went on to win both competitions under Vialli, as well as finishing fourth in the Premier League. In beating VfB Stuttgart at the Cup Winners' Cup final on 13 May 1998, 33 years and 308 days old Vialli became the youngest manager to ever win a UEFA competition. The record stood for thirteen years until 18 May 2011 when FC Porto's André Villas-Boas won the Europa League at the age of 33 years and 213 days. Coincidentally, Villas-Boas would eventually go on to manage Chelsea.

The following season Chelsea won the European Super Cup by beating Real Madrid 1–0, and finished 3rd in the Premier League, just four points behind champions Manchester United in what was Chelsea's highest league finish since 1970, and perhaps their most serious bid to win a league title since their first title triumph in 1955. Chelsea finally won the Premier League title in 2005.

Vialli made his final competitive appearance for the club against Derby County at the end of that season (a game in which he scored),[10] finishing his Chelsea career with 83 appearances and 40 goals.

The following season saw Chelsea reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League on their debut in the competition, the highlight of which was a 3–1 quarterfinal first leg victory over FC Barcelona, although they were eventually knocked out on aggregate following a 5–1 return leg loss at Camp Nou that needed extra time. Despite a disappointing 5th-place finish in the Premier League, the campaign ended on a high note when Vialli guided Chelsea to a win over Aston Villa in the 2000 FA Cup final.

The 2000–01 season started brightly, with Chelsea beating Manchester United to win the FA Charity Shield, Vialli's fifth official trophy with the club in less than three years, making him the club's most successful manager at the time. But Vialli was sacked five games into the season after an indifferent start and having fallen out with several players, including Gianfranco Zola, Didier Deschamps and Dan Petrescu.

Watford

Vialli then took up an offer to manage First Division club Watford in 2001–02. Despite making wholesale and expensive changes to the playing and coaching staff, the Hertfordshire side finished an unimpressive 14th and Vialli was sacked after one year. Following this, he was drawn into a lengthy dispute with the club over the payment of the remainder of his contract.

International career

Vialli was a member of Italy's under 21 team for both the 1984 and 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championships where the Azzurrini finished third and second respectively. Overall Vialli represented the Italy U21 team 20 times, scoring 11 goals.[11] He was also the top scorer in the 1986 Under-21 European Championship, with 4 goals, where Italy lost the final to Spain on penalties.[12]

In 1985, Vialli made his debut for the Italy senior team in a friendly match against Poland. He was included in Italy's squad for the 1986 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico, appearing with an all-shaved head as a substitute in all four of Italy's matches.[13]

Vialli scored his first goal for Italy in a UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier against Malta in 1986. He was included in Italy's squad for the finals of the Euro 1988 competition and scored the winning goal against Spain in the group stage. Although Italy were knocked out by the Soviet Union in the semi-final after losing 0–2, Vialli was named in UEFA's team of the tournament.[14]

With the 1990 FIFA World Cup being held on home soil, Vialli named part of the squad[15] and he was expected to make a huge impact for the hosts.[16] However, after failing to score in the first match against Austria, despite setting up the winning goal via a cross, Vialli missed a penalty against the United States in the next match, hitting the lower near post with keeper Tony Meola diving the other way. He was subsequently dropped from the team in favour of Roberto Baggio and Salvatore Schillaci, who had scored the winning goal against Austria after appearing as a substitute.[17] Vialli returned to the team for the semi-final against Argentina and played a role in Italy's opening goal after his shot on goal was blocked by Argentina keeper Goycochea and the rebound fell to Schillaci. He was substituted in the second half as Italy were eliminated on penalties, eventually finishing the tournament in third place.[18] Because Italy assigned jersey numbers alphabetically to players for the World Cup (beginning with defenders, then midfielders, and finally attackers) Vialli wore the number 21 during the World Cup. Overall, he finished the tournament with 2 assists, which were both provided for the golden boot winner Schilacci.[19]

Vialli returned to lead Italy's attack during the qualifying games to the Euro 1992 Championship under Vicini, scoring in Italy's 3–1 win over Hungary and 2–0 win over Cyprus. However, Italy missed out on qualifying after finishing second behind the Soviet Union in Group 3.

Vialli made his last appearance for the Azzurri in December 1992, due to his strained relationship with coach Arrigo Sacchi bringing his international career to a premature end, despite his club success during the 1990s.[20] It is rumored that Vialli played a prank on Sacchi, which was the reason for his dropping from the national team.[21][22][23]

Overall, Vialli made 59 appearances for Italy, scoring 16 goals.[24][25]

Style of play

Regarded as one of the best Italian and most consistent strikers of his generation, Vialli was a complete and versatile forward and a prolific goalscorer, who was capable of playing anywhere along the front line; throughout his career, he was played on the wing, or in a deeper, supporting role, although his preferred position was in the centre as a main striker, where he could best take advantage of his opportunism in the penalty area and his keen eye for goal. In addition to his power and shooting accuracy with both feet when finishing off chances both inside and outside the area, as well as his aerial ability, Vialli was also capable of playing off of and creating goals for team mates, and was also endowed with good vision, technical ability and control. A tenacious, hardworking, and energetic player, Vialli was gifted with outstanding athleticism, agility, strength, pace, and stamina; he also excelled in the air, both acrobatically, and with his head, which led manager Marcello Lippi to praise him, and compare him to legendary Italian striker Luigi Riva. In addition to his footballing skills, he was also remembered for his dedication, leadership, and his charismatic influence on the pitch.[26]

Other

In 2006, Vialli released The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures, co-written with his close friend and reputable football journalist, Gabriele Marcotti. Written over a period of two and a half years from November 2003 until early 2006, the book discusses the differences between English and Italian football. He also attributes his tendency to play as a wide attacker to playing on a field that was short and wide as a young boy.[27] Vialli is donating the proceeds of the book to the "Fondazione Vialli e Mauro per la ricerca e lo sport", which is a charitable foundation he founded together with former player Massimo Mauro in order to raise funds for research into cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[28]

Since the late 2000s Vialli works as a TV football commentator for Sky Italia.[1] In 2007 he was linked with a move to the managers position at Queens Park Rangers, following the club takeover by Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and the dismissal of John Gregory as manager, but ultimately declined any interest in the job.[29] During Euro 2012, he appeared as pundit for the BBC's coverage of the tournament.[30]

Personal life

Son to a self-made millionaire, Vialli was brought up with his 4 siblings in the 60 room Castello di Belgioioso in Cremona.[31] Vialli has been married to Cathryn White-Cooper since 26 August 2003 and has two children.[32] He is a keen golfer and has played at the Dunhill links championship pro-am event.

Career statistics

Club

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1980–81CremoneseSerie C12020
1981–82Serie B3155
1982–83358358
1983–843710212
1984–85SampdoriaSerie A28369
1985–8628628
1986–872812416
1987–883010313
1988–8930141311533
1989–9022101718
1990–9126193123
1991–9231113721
1992–93JuventusSerie A326721054913
1993–9410420124
1994–95301773924622
1995–96301111723814
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1996–97ChelseaPremier League289122911
1997–9821111210863119
1998–99913256111810
Total Italy 410146422229219
England 58215666977840
Career total 468167488836259

[33]

International

[25]

Italy national team
YearMatchesGoals
198510
1986100
1987105
1988115
1989101
199030
199183
199262
Total5916

Honours

Player

Sampdoria[34]
Juventus[34]
Chelsea[34]
Individual

Manager

Chelsea

Orders

5th Class/Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991[40]

Managerial stats

Team Nat From To Record
GWLDWin %
Chelsea England 12 February 1998 12 September 2000 143762938 53.15
Watford England 1 June 2001 14 June 2002 52202111 38.46

References

  1. 1 2 Roberto Perrone (21 January 2007). "firmato VIALLI "Il calcio è femmina: fedele in Inghilterra, vanitosa da noi"" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "una marcatura per due, dai gemelli della Samp e' nato un gol siamese" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 20 March 1992. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "si' , ho venduto Vialli alla Juve" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 23 May 1992. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "21/05/1995, inizia l'Era Lippi e quella di Ciro bianconero" (in Italian). Tutto Sport. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Coppe e trofei: una storia in bianconero" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Vado via, alla Juve non servivo piu'" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 25 May 1996. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Football: Sutton joins Chelsea for pounds 10m". The Independent. 6 July 1999.
  8. ↑ "Five players who donned a player-manager role". Goal.com. 26 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Around the World: Italy and the Barclays Premier League". Premier League. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Chelsea 2 Derby 1". Sporting Life. May 1999. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  11. ↑ "Vialli, from super-sub to player manager". BBC. 12 February 1998. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  12. 1 2 "1986: Spagna di rigore sull'Italia". Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Gianluca Vialli » World Cup 1986 Mexico". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  14. 1 2 "1988 team of the tournament". UEFA. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "ITALIA ' 90 QUASI FATTA LA LISTA DEI VENTIDUE" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 21 February 1989. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Lessons in Calcio - Gianluca Vialli". 24 March 2009.
  17. ↑ "Once Out Of Doghouse, `Toto` Stars". The Baltimore Sun. 30 June 1990. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  18. ↑ "1990 FIFA World Cup Italy ™ - FIFA.com". FIFA. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Vialli e Maldini i nuovi pilastri". Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  20. ↑ "Close-up: Gianluca Vialli: Revivalist at Bridgehead". The Independent. 19 May 1996. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Matarrese? Primo tifoso di Vialli". Il Corriere della Sera. 23 May 1995. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "Vialli se ne va prima ancora di arrivare" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 9 September 1995. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Vialli: " Cancellerei le incomprensioni con la nazionale "" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 31 December 1995. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Gianluca Vialli". Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  25. 1 2 "Nazionale in cifre: Vialli, Gianluca". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  26. ↑ Stefano Bedeschi. "Gli eroi in bianconero: Gianluca VIALLI" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  27. ↑ Gianluca Vialli (4 December 2007). "Gianluca Vialli: Only a game for English kids". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "FONDAZIONE VIALLI E MAURO PER LA RICERCA E LO SPORT ONLUS". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  29. ↑ "Vialli distances himself from QPR job". Reuters UK. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  30. ↑ Jim Shelley (1 July 2012). "Euro 2012 TV review: BBC in need of an overhaul after tournament to forget". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  31. ↑ "Guardian - Who is the poshest footballer ever?".
  32. ↑ "Biography for Gianluca Vialli". Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  33. ↑ "Gianluca Vialli - Goals in International Matches". Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  34. 1 2 3 "Gianluca Vialli". Eurosport. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  35. ↑ Jarek Owsianski; Davide Rota (18 December 2013). "Cup Winners Cup Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  36. ↑ Roberto Di Maggio; Davide Rota (4 June 2015). "Italy - Coppa Italia Top Scorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  37. ↑ Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (11 June 2015). "Italy - Serie A Top Scorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  38. ↑ Jamie Rainbow (14 December 2012). "World Soccer Awards – previous winners". World Soccer. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  39. ↑ "Hall of fame, 10 new entry: con Vialli e Mancini anche Facchetti e Ronaldo" [Hall of fame, 10 new entries: with Vialli and Mancini also Facchetti and Ronaldo] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  40. ↑ "Onoreficenze". quirinale.it (in Italian). 30 September 1991. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Roberto Baggio		 Juventus F.C. captains
1995–1996 		Succeeded by
Antonio Conte
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