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Gianluca Vialli (born 9 July 1964 in Cremona) is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia.

Vialli started his 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 nine footballers to have won the three main European club competitions and is the only player in European footballing history to have winner's and runner's up medals in all three main European club competitions. During his twenty years long career as a professional footballer he has scored 259 goals at club level, 16 goals with the national team, 11 goals with the under 21 national team for a total of 286 goals in more than 500 appearances.

Club career[link]

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

Sampdoria[link]

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, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1990) – where he scored both goals in the 2–0 win over Anderlecht in the final – and three Italian Cups (in 1985, 1988 and 1989). They also reached the European Cup final in 1992, losing to Spain's Barcelona.

While at Sampdoria, Vialli made his debut for Italy in a friendly match against Poland in 1985. He scored his first ever national goal in a Euro 88 qualification match against Malta in 1986. He was included in the squad for the 1986 World Cup. He also played at Euro 88 (scoring the winner in Italy's 1–0 win over Spain) and was part of the squad which finished 3rd at Italia '90. Vialli was largely expected to have a huge impact on the tournament and started Italy's first two games.^{[citation needed]} He set up a goal in Italy's opening game with Austria and in the following game he hit the post from a penalty against the USA. His poor form and injury saw him dropped in favour of Roberto Baggio and Toto Schillaci, but he did make a surprise return in the semi-final in place of Baggio. He was substituted in favour of Baggio during the match. In a recent interview with Irish radio station Newstalk Vialli claimed he had also been suffering with a chest infection in the early part of the tournament.^{[citation needed]}

Juventus[link]

He moved to Juventus shortly after the European Cup final loss for a world record fee of £12.5million. Vialli won the UEFA Cup in his first season with Juventus. Coincidentally, he had his last international cap in 1992 also against Malta in a 1994 World Cup qualification match where he also scored, but was left out of the squad for the World Cup finals following a dispute with coach Arrigo Sacchi, after which Vialli declared he would be supporting Brazil. 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 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 Champions League final win over Ajax Amsterdam in 1996.

Chelsea[link]

Vialli joined Chelsea in the summer of 1996 for $1million a year (after rejecting an offer from Rangers) as part of manager Ruud Gullit's cosmopolitan rebuilding of the side, and won the FA Cup in his first season, including two goals in a spectacular 4–2 comeback over Liverpool in the fourth round. 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 cameo 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 couldn't cement his place in the side under Gullit.

Managerial career[link]

Chelsea[link]

Gullit was sacked in February 1998 and 33-year-old Vialli was appointed player-manager. Chelsea were already in the semi-finals of the Coca Cola Cup and the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup, and went on to win both competitions under Vialli, as well as finishing 4th 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 coach 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. Vialli made his final competitive appearance for the club against Derby County at the end of that season (a game in which he scored),^[1] 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[link]

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.[1]

Other[link]

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. 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).

Today Vialli works as a TV football commentator for Sky Italia. 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.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Vialli has been married to Cathryn White-Cooper since 26 August 2003 and has two children.^[3] He is a keen golfer and has played at the Dunhill links championship pro-am event.

Career statistics[link]

^[4]

Club playing honours[link]

Cremonese

• Serie C1: promotion 1980–81

Sampdoria

• Serie A: 1990–91
• Coppa Italia: 1985, 1988, 1989
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1991
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1990

Juventus F.C.

• Serie A: 1994–95
• Coppa Italia: 1995
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1995
• UEFA Champions League: 1996
• UEFA Cup: 1993

Chelsea F.C.

• FA Cup: 1997
• League Cup: 1998
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998
• UEFA Super Cup: 1998

International playing honours[link]

Italy national football team

• World Cup: 3rd place in 1990

Club managerial honours[link]

Chelsea F.C.

• Football League Cup: 1998
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1998
• UEFA Super Cup: 1998
• FA Cup: 2000
• FA Charity Shield: 2000

Managerial stats[link]

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	L	D	Win %
Chelsea		12 February 1998	12 September 2000	143	76	29	38	53.15
Watford		1 June 2001	14 June 2002	52	20	21	11	38.46

See also[link]

• List of players to have won the three main European club competitions

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gianluca Vialli management career stats at Soccerbase

Sporting positions
Preceded by Roberto Baggio	Juventus F.C. captains 1995–1996	Succeeded by Antonio Conte
Preceded by Bobby Robson	Cup Winners' Cup Winning Coach 1997–98	Succeeded by Sven-Göran Eriksson
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Papin	World football transfer record 1992–1992	Succeeded by Gianluigi Lentini

v t e Italy squad – 1986 FIFA World Cup 1 Galli 2 Bergomi 3 Cabrini 4 Collovati 5 Nela 6 Scirea (c) 7 Tricella 8 Vierchowod 9 Ancelotti 10 Bagni 11 Baresi 12 Tancredi 13 De Napoli 14 Di Gennaro 15 Tardelli 16 Conti 17 Vialli 18 Altobelli 19 Di Carlo 20 Rossi 21 Serena 22 Zenga Coach: Bearzot

v t e Italy squad – UEFA Euro 1988 semi-finalists 1 Zenga 2 Baresi 3 Bergomi (c) 4 Cravero 5 Ferrara 6 Ferri 7 Francini 8 Maldini 9 Ancelotti 10 De Agostini 11 Di Carlo 12 Tacconi 13 Fusi 14 Giannini 15 Romano 16 Altobelli 17 Donadoni 18 Mancini 19 Rizzitelli 20 Vialli Coach: Vicini

v t e Italy squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1 Zenga 2 Baresi 3 Bergomi (c) 4 De Agostini 5 Ferrara 6 Ferri 7 Maldini 8 Vierchowod 9 Ancelotti 10 Berti 11 De Napoli 12 Tacconi 13 Giannini 14 Marocchi 15 Baggio 16 Carnevale 17 Donadoni 18 Mancini 19 Schillaci 20 Serena 21 Vialli 22 Pagliuca Coach: Vicini

Roberto Mancini

Personal information
Full name	Roberto Mancini
Date of birth	(1964-11-27) 27 November 1964 (age 47)
Place of birth	Jesi, Ancona, Italy
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder / Striker
Club information
Current club	Manchester City (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981–1982	Bologna	30	(9)
1982–1997	Sampdoria	424	(132)
1997–2002	Lazio	87	(15)
2001	→ Leicester City (loan)	4	(0)
Total		545	(156)
National team
1982–1986	Italy U21	26	(9)
1984–1994	Italy	36	(4)
Teams managed
2001–2002	Fiorentina
2002–2004	Lazio
2004–2008	Internazionale
2009–	Manchester City
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Roberto Mancini (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto manˈtʃini]; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian former football player and manager of Premier League club Manchester City. As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa Italias and the Cup Winners Cup, whilst being capped 36 times by Italy. As a player, he gained a penchant for becoming a future manager and would often give team talks at half-time^[1] and ultimately became an assistant to Sven-Göran Eriksson at Lazio near the end of his playing career. After his retirement, Mancini embarked on a successful managerial career.

A cup specialist,^[2][3] Mancini has never failed to reach a semi-final of a major national cup competition in every season he has been a manager, from 2002 to 2012.^[4] He also guided the Italian clubs he managed to a record 5 consecutive Coppa Italia finals from 2004 to 2008, with Lazio once in 2004 and with Inter in the following four seasons. Mancini's first managerial role was at a cash stricken Fiorentina at only 35 years old and managed to win a Coppa Italia, but left with Fiorentina facing bankruptcy. Months later, he took over as manager at Lazio, where again he inherited financial constraints and was forced to lose a number of key players. With limited resources during his two season tenure, he still managed to win another Coppa Italia, reach a UEFA Cup semi-final, and secure a lucrative Champions League place.

In 2004, Mancini was given the chance to manage a major club, being offered the manager's job at Internazionale. During his tenure at Inter, the club won three consecutive Serie A titles (an Inter club record) and a European record 17 consecutive league game victories stretching nearly half a season.^[5] and became Inter's most successful manager in 30 years.^[6] Despite his domestic success, many pundits^[7] saw the repeated failure to win the coveted Champions League as the main reason for his sacking in 2008.^[8] After being out of football for over a year, Mancini was appointed Manchester City manager in December 2009 and his team-building achievements at Lazio and Inter were a factor in his appointment.^[9] In the 2010–11 season, his first full season at City, Mancini guided the club to Champions League football and the FA Cup, and has moulded City into a sound defensive unit.^[10][11] In the 2011–12 season, Mancini guided Manchester City to the clubs first Premier League title in 44 years, in an enthralling last day of the season, winning 3–2, with two goals in injury time.^[12]

Early life[link]

Mancini was born in the small town of Iesi, Marche, in 1964, but then moved onto the mountain town of Roccadaspide and was raised by Aldo and Marianna Mancini along with his younger sister Stephanie. Raised a Roman Catholic, his young life in Iesi revolved around religion and football.^[13] He was an altar boy and played for the local Aurora Calcio football team in his youth. On one occasion, a fixture clashed with his first Holy Communion. Halfway through the ceremony, the eight-year-old Mancini was nowhere to be seen. His local priest who was administering his first communion frequently coached football, he heard they were losing 2–0 at half-time and so he asked a young Mancini quietly after receiving his communion if he had his football kit and boots with him. Roberto said they were in the changing rooms and so he told him to sneak out of the side door and put them on because his team needed him, unbeknownst to his father.^[13]

Playing career[link]

Sampdoria[link]

Mancini debuted in the Italian Serie A for Bologna on 12 September 1981. The following year, he was bought by Sampdoria, for £2.2 million, whom he played for until 1997^[14]. He later played for Lazio and Leicester City. With Sampdoria, he formed a dynamic strike partnership with Gianluca Vialli, and helped the club to its only league title in 1991, four Coppa Italias and a Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. He also appeared in the final of the 1991–92 European Cup against Barcelona. At 27 Mancini sat on the interview panel that selected Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager. When it was time to choose the new kit, Mancini ticked it off. He often delivered the team-talk. He attended board meetings and had a say in transfer business. Take this story from David Platt's 1995 autobiography, Achieving the Goal, about the day he played at Sampdoria for Bari and, lining up in the tunnel, became aware that Mancini was looking his way. "I thought nothing of it until he asked me, very matter-of-factly, if I was staying at Bari. Outright he asked if I wanted to join Sampdoria. Mancini had been at the club years and was almost a son to the president, Paolo Mantovani." Mancini kept in touch when he moved to Juventus and eventually helped bring him to Sampdoria. At that stage Mancini had established himself as the most powerful voice in the Blucerchiati dressing room but, even as a teenager, he was not someone who liked his authority being questioned. Trevor Francis signed from Manchester City in 1982 and, aggrieved that his place was under threat, Mancini ended up picking a fight with him on the training ground. He was 18 at the time, taking on a man 10 years older. Nor was this a one-off. A similar thing happened with Liam Brady, this time giving away eight years. Juan Sebastián Verón tells the story of swearing in Mancini's direction during an argument about a badly taken corner. After the match Mancini had stripped off to the waist and was waiting to fight him. "He is not an easy person, you know," Verón says. "He has this complicated personality."^[15]