Martin Thorpe
MARTIN THORPE of the Guardian,” you say, offering your hand. “Gianluca Vialli,” comes the reply. Perhaps he thinks people in England do not know who he is.
Such modesty comes as a shock. The severe haircut and ferocious grimace that sears his face when he plays give the impression of a short-tempered big- head peering imperiously down from the top of his wallet at the common life scurrying below.
Nothing like it. Vialli turns out to be a most gracious of men, thinner and younger than he looks on the field, with piercing blue eyes and a devilish sense of humour. At 26 000 a week it is about the only thing that comes free.
Of course, even given stories about Vialli putting Deep Heat in Graeme Souness’s underpants at Sampdoria, Ruud Gullit knew what he was getting when he signed his old friend.
Not only one of the world’s great forwards to enchant fans but a model professional to inspire the team.
Vialli knew from the moment he decided to play outside Italy for the first time exactly how he wanted to conduct himself.
“I have not come to England to be the big star. In Italy things were there for me when I wanted. I was waited on. But here when I want something I am careful to ask for it with manners.”
After the recent game at his old club Sampdoria, Vialli treated the whole team to a meal at his nearby restaurant but even he asked Gullit first if it was okay for the players to have alcohol.
The respect is mutual. Vialli may be 32 but his goal in the friendly at Sampdoria, a 14-yard finish of 24-carat class, shows that the light which led Juventus to pay a then world-record 12,5-million for him in 1992 still burns.
That game was the Italian’s first start for his new club since arriving on a free transfer from Juventus where, despite having just helped them win the European Cup, he felt he was no longer wanted.
Chelsea have embraced him with open chequebooks. Replica shirts bearing the name Vialli atop the No 9 have been selling out in the club shop and season- ticket sales are up 60% on the previous record.
With the simultaneous arrival of the rest of the new spine to Gullit’s team — Vialli’s fellow Italian Roberto Di Matteo in midfield and the classy French international Franck Leboeuf at sweeper — Chelsea find themselves the most glamorous side in the capital for the first time since the Osgood days of the 1970s.
Of course, doubts remain whether Chelsea can do it over a season. One problem is lack of concentration. In 17 games last season they took the lead and failed to win. So if anyone can help explain the art of holding a lead it is a player steeped in the wiles of Serie A.
Also there are question marks over Vialli’s ability to stand up to the rigours of England’s long season and madcap pace. Even now he is not fully match fit after recovering from an injury and a draining pre- season: “For one month I took just the sun, and I was swimming a little and I eat too much.”
Another question is whether the Italian-Welsh axis of himself and Mark Hughes can manage enough goals. Both are quality strikers but neither a prolific goalscorer in the Shearer or even Ferdinand category.
Vialli is cagey about predicting what might happen. Ask him if Chelsea can win the title and he replies: “I don’t know the other teams. I know English football only from television, so I can’t say. But I am a winner like Ruud, and we can win something.
“I am not afraid of the fast game or the hard men that Ruud has told me about. I know what to expect and how to cope with it.
“I have a good relationship with Mark Hughes on the field and off it. I like him. He is a very generous player, hard and strong. I told him, `Mark, you will be my bodyguard’. He said, `No problem’.”
He has noticed another difference between English football and Italian: there players are taught to wait and counter-attack during a game. “Here,” he says, “the players want enjoyment first, the results come second. In Italy only the result is important.”
Can he adapt? The reply is diplomacy personified: “I want to win always and I enjoy myself only if I win.”
So why did he choose Chelsea? “I have always wanted to play abroad at some time and the Premiership is a very exciting place. Also London is the best city in Europe, maybe the world.”
He admits too that Gullit’s presence at Stamford Bridge was a motivating factor. “He is important. We have played so many times as opponents. We went on holiday together a few years ago in Sardinia.
“Above all he is someone who understands Italian football and will help me overcome the difficulties of settling into the Premiership.”