Ex-Chelsea striker Vialli battling cancer

MILAN: Former Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has revealed that he has been battling cancer for the past year.

Vialli, 54, who also scored

16 goals in 59 games for Italy and is now a popular TV pundit, told Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Monday that he hoped that his story would “inspire people”.

“I’m fine now, very well indeed,” said Vialli, who won a host of trophies over his playing and short managerial career, including the Champions League with Juventus and two Serie A titles.

“It’s been a year and I’m back to having a beastly physique, although I still have no certainty of how this match will end.

“I used to wear a sweater under my shirt so no one noticed anything. I was still the person everyone knew.”

Vialli has just published his second book ‘Goals, 98 stories +1 to face the most difficult challenges’.

“I hope my story can inspire people, who are at crucial intersections of their lives, and I hope mine is a book to keep on the bedside table so people can read one or two stories before falling asleep or in the morning as soon as they wake up,” he said.

“Another key phrase that came up during my treatment, hanging on a yellow post-it on the wall, was this: ‘We’re the product of our thoughts’.

“The important thing isn’t winning; it’s thinking like a winner. Life is made up of 10 percent for what happens to us and 90 percent for how we deal with it.

“I hope my story can help others, to deal with what’s happening in the right way.”