'One of the greats with a reputation to match' – BBC Sport

'Reading these pages helps us understand why we loved Gianluca Vialli, and why we continue to love him today' – Nino Vialli

A heartfelt portrait of a football icon who changed the English game forever

Gianluca Vialli signed for Chelsea in May 1996 as a European champion, just days after lifting the Champions League with Juventus. At his peak, he chose to leave Italy’s glittering Serie A for a mid-table club in a fledgling Premier League, and thus helped ignite a transformation that reshaped Chelsea and changed English football forever. With elegance and intelligence, Vialli brought a new style and ambition to Stamford Bridge.

Written by his close childhood friend Luca Dal Monte, this is an intimate portrait of the man behind the legend. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Ivano Bordon, Richard Walker and Alessandro Scanziani, and featuring a cast of characters including Gianluigi Buffon, Dennis Wise and Ruud Gullit, the book reveals Vialli’s character, leadership and vision, on and off the pitch.

From Chelsea glory to Watford and his courageous battle with cancer, this is the definitive account of Vialli’s English journey, filled with nostalgic photographs from an incredible era and told by someone who knew him best. P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC|C 2026 Luca Dal Monte