Vialli has been battling pancreatic cancer for the second time after he initially contracted, and defeated the disease in 2017.
However, the disease reared its head once again in 2021, and the Italy icon has been trying to get rid of his ‘unwanted guest’ ever since.
But the valiant Vialli refused to be beaten by the cancer and vowed to fight it until the bitter end. He was part of the Italian national team’s setup as their head of delegation, but recently stepped down from his role in order to focus all of his energy on battling cancer.
However, Corriere Della Sera now report that Vialli’s condition has rapidly deteriorated and he’s at a hospital in London receiving treatment.
The 58-year-old’s condition prompted his 87-year-old mother Teresa to jet to London to spend some time with Vialli before Christmas, as he won’t be able to travel, it was added.
She was accompanied by his brother into the capital on Monday, before they returned to Vialli’s birthplace Cremona, the following day.
The news of Vialli’s health will be a bitter blow to Blues fans who have fond memories of the retired striker at Stamford Bridge.
He spent three seasons as a player in West London after arriving from Juventus in 1996, and won the FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. Vialli replaced Ruud Gullit as player manager in 1998, and retired in 1999 to focus on his role as Blues boss.
While in charge of Chelsea, they won the League Cup, Cup Winners Cup, Super Cup, FA Cup, and Charity Shield. But despite his success, Vialli was sacked at the start of the 2000/01 season after several internal spats with players.
