Vialli was one of many big-name foreign imports from Chelsea in the mid 1990s when he was signed by the Blues for a fee of 600,000.
He went on to enjoy a successful three year spell with a club, over a year of which he spent as player-manager where he guided Chelsea to the League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.
The Italian was recently asked as to whether he believed that the prototype of the modern-day striker had changed in recent years. “I don’t think so,” Vialli said. “I was a striker that played only in the area, I unraveled on the wings and I ran a lot. I played in the 80s and 90s and I had nothing to do with the traditional no. 9. ”The 49-year-old went on to compare his playing style to Rooney’s due to his all-round contribution to the team. “My style was similar to that of Wayne Rooney actually.
I used to play with joy, commitment, without thinking I had the obligation to score to justify my presence in the starting eleven,” he told Marca in a recent interview.
