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(Reuters) – Italy’s Serie A held a minute’s silence in memory of Gianluca Vialli before Saturday’s match, while old teammates and rivals paid their respects to the former Italy international.
Vialli, who won 59 caps for Italy and had an illustrious career at Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea, died on Friday at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.
His former Juventus teammate Gianluca Pessotto read a touching letter before Saturday’s match against Udinese, saying: “You are our guide, on and off the field, in the locker room and in the win. I was a teammate.
“Captain, my friend, I will never forget your sense of humor, grace, charisma and tenacity.
“No one can forget the memories you gave us with football and goals. We miss your smile so much. We are ready to hug you. Bon Voyage, Captain. We love you.”
Juventus’ Federico Chiesa dedicated the 1-0 victory over Udinese to Vialli, telling DAZN: human…
“We could talk for hours about how great a man he was. Victory is his.”
Vialli’s lifelong friend, Italian coach Roberto Mancini, paid tribute to his “little brother” in an interview with the Corriere dello Sport, saying: “Gianluca is the best of us, perfect and brave. It was a man,” he said.
On Friday, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte chose not to attend his FA Cup pre-match press conference, mourning the death of his former team-mate.
“A few months ago we had dinner together in London and shared memories of adventures and battles on the field,” Conte said on Instagram.
“Unfortunately, you have had to fight the big and terrible battles of your life over the last few years. , I have told you and written to you that I am proud, brave, and have fought this disease like a lion…”
At a press conference on Saturday, AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli told reporters: “2023 started poorly because we lost a champion of sport and life, a generous and relevant person with unique values.” said.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair and Tommy Lund; Editing by Toby Davis)
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