WATCH: Chelsea pay Vialli No.9 shirt tribute ahead of FA Cup third round clash with Man City
- Italian passed away at the age of 58
- Won trophies with Blues as player and coach
- Fondly remembered by everyone in football community
WHAT HAPPENED? The ex-Italy international, who won major honours at Stamford Bridge as a destructive striker and highly-rated manager, passed away on January 6, 2023 at the age of 58 following a long-running battle with pancreatic cancer. Chelsea have sought to honour his legacy and achievements by completing their pre-match warm-ups in special No.9 jerseys ahead of a cup clash with Premier League champions City at the Etihad Stadium.
Remembering Luca. 💙 pic.twitter.com/DPLkMBlEvk
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 8, 2023
#️⃣9️⃣💙 pic.twitter.com/WkkXtKrb3t
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 8, 2023
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Vialli joined Chelsea from Juventus in 1996, before becoming player-manager in 1998, and collected FA Cup, League Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and UEFA Super Cup medals during his time at Stamford Bridge.
WHAT NEXT? Chelsea have been finding inspiration hard to come by of late and suffered a 1-0 defeat to City in their last Premier League outing on Thursday to leave them 10th in the English top-flight table.