GIANLUCA VIALLI once treated his Chelsea players to a glass of fancy champagne – before they took on London rivals Arsenal.
The late Italian – who passed away this week aged 58 – took charge of the Blues following Ruud Gullit’s sacking in 1998.
Vialli was given a baptism of fire with a League Cup semi-final second-leg clash with eventual Premier League winners Arsenal.
While most incoming managers rely on giving a Rocky-esque speech to motivate their new players for their match in charge, Vialli already had the respect and adoration of the troops as he spilled blood, sweat and tears with them on the pitch.
And in his first pre-match team talk, he showed the class he’d become renowned for in years to come by handing each player a glass of champers.
While most people wouldn’t perform well after a pre-match champers, the glass of bubbly had the desired effect on the Blues.
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The west Londoners ran out 3-1 winners, with Mark Hughes firing them into the lead on the ten-minute mark.
The win guided Vialli and his troops into the final – which they won thanks to a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.
Vialli’s passing following a five-year battle with pancreatic cancer rocked the football world – who came together to pay tribute to the former Sampdoria, Juventus and Italy striker.
Former team-mate Graeme Souness fought back the tears as he said: “Forget football for a minute, he was just a gorgeous soul. He was a truly nice human being.
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“I went to Italy when I was 31-years-old. He was 20 and he was just fabulous to be around.
“Such a fun-loving guy, he was full of mischief. He was such a warm individual and a fabulous player.
“But I don’t want to talk about his footballing, I want to talk about him as a human being.
“Because I don’t remember when I hear his name, and I’m going to hear a lot of his name, correctly so and people paying plaudits to him, magnificent things about his playing ability… yeah – but what a human being – above all that, what a human being.
“And my condolences go to his family and his wife and they’ve been blessed that their paths crossed.
“The kids were blessed they had a dad like that, his wife was blessed to have a man like that.”
A Chelsea statement read: “Everyone associated with Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the passing of Gianluca Vialli, our former player and manager, at the age of just 58.
“As soon as he walked through the door at Stamford Bridge when already a global football star, Luca declared his wish to become a Chelsea legend.
“It is a target he undoubtedly reached, revered for his work on the pitch and in the dugout during some of the most successful years in our history.
“Loved by fans, players and staff at Stamford Bridge, Luca will be sorely missed not just by the Chelsea community.
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“But the entire footballing world, including in his native Italy, where he was such an iconic figure.
“Our thoughts are with Luca’s wife Cathryn, his daughters Sofia and Olivia, and the rest of his family and his friends at this terribly sad time.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
