The Gentleman

A VIVID, HEARTFELT ACCOUNT OF GIANLUCA VIALLI’S ENDURING LEGACY AS A PREMIER LEAGUE ICON AND LONDON GENTLEMAN.

Gianluca Vialli signed for Chelsea on a free transfer in May 1996, just two days after winning the Champions League with Juventus. An international striker at his peak, he left Italy’s star-studded Serie A for a mid-table club in a fledgling Premier League. This engrossing book tells how, over just four seasons, he made London his home, transformed the trajectory of the club and helped change English football forever.

Brought to England by Ruud Gullit to bring ‘sexy football’ to Stamford Bridge, Vialli more than delivered. He was a class act: skilful with electric movement off the ball and a devastating finish, but also the very model of the modern gentleman-Londoner. In his philosophy and approach, he adapted the lessons he had learned in Italy to the passion and soul of the English game.

Written by his lifelong friend Luca Dal Monte, and through interviews with teammates, coaches and friends, the book reveals what was in the striker and player-manager’s heart and mind. From Vialli’s time at Chelsea and brief spell as Watford manager, to his struggle with pancreatic cancer, this is a gripping account of a man who left an indelible mark on the English game.