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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Michael Turnbull

GAA club Erin's Isle pay touching tribute to Gianluca Vialli after tragic death

Erin's Isle GAA club have paid a touching tribute to Gianluca Vialli who passed away earlier today at the age of 58.

A legendary figure in soccer, Vialli played for Sampdoria and Juventus, and was at one point the most expensive soccer player of all time following his move to the Old Lady for £12.5 million in 1992.

Vialli won an FA Cup as Chelsea manager in 2000, before forming part of Roberto Mancini's Italian backroom team that helped Italy win Euro 2020.

READ MORE: Robbie Keane pays emotional tribute to Gianluca Vialli after Italian legend dies

But before taking on the Italian role, Viali briefly tried his hand at managing a GAA side for AIB's The Toughest Rivalries series.

And while he may have only been at the club for a short while, he certainly made a big impact at the Dublin club.

A club statement on Twitter read, "Everyone at the club is saddened to hear the news of the passing of Italian Legend Gianluca Vialli. We had the great pleasure of his management skills & company for the game against Castlehaven in #TheToughestRivalry Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam"

Vialli was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017. Three years later, he announced that he had beaten the disease.

Vialli's health deteriorated in recent months and just a few weeks ago, it was announced that he was stepping away from his role in Italy.

Italian newspaper's reported that both Vialli's brother and mother visited the 59 times capped Italian striker before Christmas to spend some time with their family member.

The 58-year-old passed away at a London hospital earlier today.

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