«We have always spent the money according to peasant logic», the patron said to those who begged him not to give up that no longer rough diamond named Vialli, which Gianni Brera had already nicknamed “Stradivialli” referring to the centuries-old artisan tradition of Cremonese luthiers. Just so because Vialli, going to the Sampdoria of the legendary president Mantovani, will find his ideal location, a happy and well-protected island, which for 8 years (1984-’92) will make him, together with Roberto Mancini, one of the most appreciated and talented Italian strikers.
Sampdoria and the link with Mancini
“They called us ‘goal twins’, but we were really brothers,” Gianluca said. “When you’re the same age and you’ve shared so many challenges, you can go a long time without hearing from each other, but the friendship will never end.” Golden years, of triumphs, with little mishaps along the way. «At the beginning I didn’t get on well, but when Boskov arrives, the coach who took us to the 1991 Scudetto, everything changes. Boskov promoted me to first striker by setting Mancini back slightly, who in addition to scoring sent me into goal with fantastic assists. An extraordinary period. We have grown year after year, winning the first and last Sampdoria championship. We scared the big city squadrons. We won an Italian Cup, a Cup Winners’ Cup, we lost another in the final, and finally the Scudetto in 1991. Genoa went crazy and so did we. Milan, Napoli wanted me… But I felt good at Sampdoria, where I felt at home. When President Mantovani called me, he charged me like a top. He told me that we had to blow up the hegemony of the big cities. That everything depended on us, that we were his strength. And I really believed it. Unfortunately that all vanished when we lost the European Cup final to Barcelona in 1992. A goal by Koeman was decisive a few minutes from the end. I knew it would be the last match for the Sampdoria. A tremendous emotional load. We cried in the locker room. But Boskov came in and told us that men don’t cry when they lose a game…. He was always right, Boskov, but not this time. It was okay to cry. My wife also told me: if you have an emotion let it out, don’t be ashamed”.
Juve’s maturity
At Juventus, where he will remain until 1996, Vialli will live his maturity. Someone is still throwing it at him. You went with the “enemy”, with the status quo of football. But he will answer: «I was 28, I had completed my mission, won the Scudetto with Sampdoria, lost the Champions League final, it was right to change». Not everything is easy at the Court of Agnelli and Boniperti. With Trapattoni, although he respects himself, there are problems. It will be Lippi, like first Boskov and then Azeglio Vicini in the national team, who will offer him what Vialli wants: total trust, the feeling of counting more than the others. «Lippi told me that he needed me, that he needed me as first striker. And I did what I had to do: many goals, some even incredible, from overhead kicks, volleys, from impossible positions». Artists are like that.
Artist or non-artist, Vialli is a goal machine: at Cremonese he scores 23, at Sampdoria 85, at Juve 38, at Chelsea 21. Even in blue his curriculum is top-notch with 16 goals in 59 games. Another record of him: he is one of the very few Italians to have won the 3 main UEFA competitions (Cup Winners’ Cup, Super Cup, Champions Cup). At Juve in two years he won a Scudetto and, finally, in 1996, the coveted Champions League. «Even now – Vialli recounted in an interview with Walter Veltroni – people tell me that I was the last Juve captain to lift the Cup. For a couple of years I was pleased with him, but then it seemed to me that he forgot everything else.’
The National
Vialli’s fortunes in the national team alternate. He played a great European Championship in 1988, but a modest World Cup in 1990, when everyone was waiting for him as the first striker and Toto Schillaci will arrive instead. “All of them happened to me that summer. Bronchitis, strains, I was never well. I made three assists and no goals. Schillaci was the rising star, I was the shooting one. Sometimes happens. Instead, I didn’t bond with Sacchi. I was critical, and he didn’t want any criticism in the team. He excluded me and did well. When he called me back, I said no. And I was wrong again. Being touchy with the national team is a sin of vanity».