Gianluca Vialli would have turned 60, Roberto Mancini’s embrace

The first to remember it, just after midnight, was Roberto Mancini: a post with a photo of the hug after the victory at the European Championship in 2021. Today, July 9, Gianluca Vialli he would have turned 60. “Happy Birthday @lucavialli” wrote Mancini on social media, the first in a long series of memories of an unforgettable player.

Sampdoria writes: « 𝖠𝗎𝗀𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗋 …�𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍� Cremonese, his first team, remembers him. Juventus and Chelsea fans remember him. Many repost images of the game or the iconic photo of the hug after the Euro 2020 triumph.

The Blucerchiati fans gather at the Quinto pier where the ending of the film La bella stagione is set, which became the Friendship Pier. An initiative also at the Cremona oratory pitch where there is a mural with Vialli in the grey-red jersey. In recent days his former Sampdoria teammate Ivano Bonetti had already shared a memory, a letter that contains friendship and respect.

«My friend where are you, sometimes I think “no it’s not true Luca come on come out I’m here don’t joke, now enough the joke is nice if it doesn’t last long. Then instead I fall into a deep melancholy because I realize that I will not see you anymore, I will not hear from you anymore, I will not hug you anymore. In a few days you would have turned 60, and even this seems strange to me Luca you know?!?!? Because I have in my mind the image of your face in our fantastic years, young, smiling, ironic, intelligent and sweet. I miss you????? Yes to death, not a day goes by where I don’t think of you. Not a day goes by where I think but fuck why, Why».

“I read your book, you made me laugh, it’s really you, I would like to go back to relive everything with more attention just like you say. There’s no time, there’s no time!!!! I remember when you called me to tell me that Trap would call me because he wanted to ask me if I wanted to return to Juve!! Who knows how it would have ended if Boniperti had then satisfied him. We would have been together for more years and who knows what we would have done!!”.

«I want to tell you something; the training project for future talents and that we should have done together I called I HAVE A DREAM, To be n.9 precisely in your honor. The 9 perfect like you were….Here I feel happy when I talk or write about you and it’s as if you were listening to me ready to tell me “come on Ivan don’t talk stupid and down with a laugh!!!!! Best wishes in advance my friend wherever you are. On July 9th your ears will be ringing because of how many thousands and thousands of people will send you BEST WISHES UP THERE!! Bye Bomber”.