Gianluca Vialli, one of the most prominent names in Italian football, died at the age of 58. He was an integral part of the management team of Italy that won the UEFA Euro 2020. A video of Vialli is going viral on the internet that was filmed during the penalty shootouts in the Euro 2020 final. Vialli could not face the spot-kicks, he had his back turned to them and when Italy won, he turned around and joined in on the celebrations.
Gianluca Vialli was the heart and soul of Italy’s at Euro 2020, but he couldn’t watch the penalty shoot-out against England in the final 😅 pic.twitter.com/niVEothVYP
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) January 6, 2023
Luke Shaw helped England get on the front foot with a goal in the second minute. Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci equalized in the 67th minute. The match ended 1-1 in 90 minutes and even extra time could not separate the pair. So the final went into penalties.
Andrea Belotti and Jorginho did not score their penalties for Italy. However, England missed three. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed their spot-kicks to hand Italy the win.
He was the heart of the team 💔 https://t.co/IudvfjyTS0
— Ahmed Abo El-Naga ⚫️⚪️ (@AhmedAbolnaga) January 6, 2023
Fans are emotional remembering Vialli and his reaction to Italy’s triumph. One fan said, “He was the heart of the team.”
Here are some other fan reactions:
Gianluca Vialli was the heart and soul of Italy’s at Euro 2020, but he couldn’t watch the penalty shoot-out against England in the final 😅 pic.twitter.com/niVEothVYP
— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) January 6, 2023
As a kid rooting for a rival I couldn’t stand Vialli on those Juve teams because he was a scoring machine. Hell of a player and person. RIP https://t.co/3JaTs0rNAV
— Barkin Buck (@BarkinBuck22) January 6, 2023
Proud to be named after this legend! Didn’t inherit the footballing talent, unfortunately, but maybe one day I’ll still get to feature in an Italy dugout in an immaculate-matched backroom team suit, watching la squadra lift another international trophy… 🇮🇹 🙏 https://t.co/L4TvtyZGyL
— Gianluca Palombo (@Gianluca_SP) January 6, 2023
What a man https://t.co/Rq9pHmGvQk
— Marius Codrea (@19dec1981) January 6, 2023
Vialli revealed in 2018 that he had successfully recovered from a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. However, he was diagnosed with the disease again in late 2021. It became the cause of his death on January 6, 2023.
What was Gianluca Vialli’s role in Euro 2020?
Vialli was able to play a significant role in assisting his long-time Sampdoria strike partner and national coach Roberto Mancini to win Italy’s first European Championship after 1968. Mancini had asked Vialli in November 2019 to join the Italian national team. They did great things together during their playing days and went on to win the Euro 2020 as part of national team management.
According to Gabriele Marcotti of ESPN, “Officially, the job title [of Vialli] was ‘head of delegation’, unofficially it was somewhere between consigliere, road trip buddy and — the reformed extrovert Vialli balancing out the functioning introvert Mancini.”
Serie A club Sampdoria is where Vialli spent a good chunk of his playing career. He won the Serie A title and European Cup Winners’ Cup with Sampdoria. The club said in their statement: “We have come a long way together, growing and searching, winning and dreaming. You came as a boy, we salute you as a man.”
💔
Goodbye, Luca. pic.twitter.com/npEOq6CanR
— Sampdoria English (@sampdoria_en) January 6, 2023
The Italian football federation (FIGC) said, “Gianluca was a wonderful person and leaves an unbridgeable void, in the national team and in all those who appreciated his extraordinary human qualities.”
Vialli made 59 appearances for Italy and scored 16 goals. A minute’s silence will be observed in matches across Italy in respect of Vialli.
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