Gianfranco Zola joined a cast of Italy greats in paying tribute to Gianluca Vialli, after the former Juventus and Chelsea striker died at the age of 58.
As well as being team-mates with Italy and Chelsea, Zola and Vialli were also rivals on the pitch for a large part of their careers, with Zola a standout fantasista for Napoli and Vialli a figurehead forward for Sampdoria and Napoli.
Zola also had a spell of playing at Chelsea when Vialli became manager, and it was reported at the time he was unhappy with being given limited playing opportunities by his compatriot.
However, Zola said on Friday there was "the utmost respect" between the men, as he remembered Vialli in a poignant message.
Zola wrote: "Together we won many matches and shared some of the best moments of our lives.
"For the love of our ball we have often clashed. With no quarter, but always with the utmost respect.
"Because, in the end, we were always ourselves: two Italian boys and a ball. Goodbye Luca, fellow traveller."
Both were signed by Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit in 1996, at a time when high-profile foreign imports to the Premier League were still few and far between.
Vialli went on to become player-manager in 1998, giving up playing duties a year later before being sacked by chairman Ken Bates in September 2000.
In Italy, Vialli was a revered figure, shining alongside Roberto Mancini for Sampdoria before heading to Juventus in 1992, winning a Serie A title with both teams and a Champions League in 1996 with Juve.
He was skipper as Juventus beat Ajax on penalties to be crowned European champions, with that Juventus team including stars of the calibre of Antonio Conte, Alessandro Del Piero, Ciro Ferrara, Didier Deschamps and Fabrizio Ravanelli.
Del Piero posted on Instagram: "Our Captain. My Captain. Always. Goodbye Luca."
There was a similar message from Ravanelli, who wrote simply: "Goodbye captain."
Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italy goalkeeper, posted a picture of a Sampdoria shirt he had been given by Vialli.
"You were a giant, on the field and in life," Buffon wrote. "You fought to the end with your head held high with unique dignity. This shirt you gave me is priceless and every time I look at it I can't help but say thank you for everything you've done. The emptiness you leave is huge."
Former defender Ferrara added: "How can I let you go? You were like a brother."
Angelo Di Livio, the former Juventus and Fiorentina winger, told Tuttomercatoweb.com how Vialli had "made me grow both as a man and as a player".
Di Livio said: "Those who have not had the pleasure of meeting Gianluca have lost a lot, they have lost a real man, a great champion.
"We will always all be connected because he was our leader, our captain, perhaps the most important player in Lippi's first Juve who took us by the hand and led us to great victories, great triumphs."
Eidevall wishes Miedema well but Arsenal keen to move on
Jonas Eidevall wished former Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema all the best after her move to Manchester City, as the Gunners prepare for the upcoming Women's Super League season.
Arsenal are set to begin life without the WSL's all-time leading scorer, who left the club after netting 80 times in 106 appearances during her seven-year spell.
Miedema also holds the WSL record for most shots (452), efforts on target (198), touches in the opposition box (816) and goals from inside the area (70).
In WSL history, only Bethany England (48) has converted more big chances than the Netherlands international (44), while Miedema has also provided 35 assists.
Ironically, Miedema's first WSL appearance for her new club will come against Arsenal on September 22, two days after the start of the new campaign on Friday, September 20, for which Eidevall is now focused on getting his current squad ready.
Speaking at the Barclay's WSL's 2024-25 season launch Media Day, he told Stats Perform: "Of course, Vivianne Miedema has had a really good history at Arsenal, some really good contributions to the club.
"Then, you come to a point where you need to say, what does the squad need here now for the next season? We prioritise these players that we now have in the squad.
"[We] wish Viv all the best. I think she's going to have a really good and successful season with Manchester City, but we're really happy and content with the squad that we have."
Arsenal are aiming to improve on last term's third-place finish, and Eidevall wants his players to produce high-quality performances on a more frequent basis.
"We need to keep our highs that we had last season," he added.
"I think we showed - both with performances and results against the teams that were finishing at the top of the league - that we were a really good football team, but we lacked the consistency.
"So, we need to keep our highs, but we need to raise our lows from last season. That's not easy, but if we can do that, then we can be winning."
Frattesi 'deserves trust' from Inter after Italy form, says former Azzurri midfielder Tardelli
Davide Frattesi "deserves trust" from Inter following his impressive form with Italy, according to former Azzurri midfielder Marco Tardelli.
Frattesi was on target in Italy's victories over France and Israel during the international break, as Luciano Spalletti's side made a perfect start to Group A2 in the Nations League.
The 25-year-old has now scored an impressive seven goals - the most of any player during the Spalletti era - in just 21 appearances since making his senior international debut two years ago.
However, he has not featured as frequently this season for Inter, who he joined from Sassuolo on a permanent basis after his initial loan spell last term, with all three of his appearances coming from the bench.
Frattesi faces competition from the established central midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
But 1982 World Cup winner Tardelli, who expects him to be "a starter" alongside Barella for Italy in the coming years, believes he deserves more opportunities with the Nerazzurri.
"Frattesi needs trust from Inter. There aren't many players like him," the former Inter boss told Gazzetta.
"Inzaghi has many strong players. The trio in midfield - Barella, Calhanoglu, and Mkhitaryan - is a certainty. I can't tell Simone who to play, but everyone's seeing what Frattesi is doing. He makes a difference, and he deserves trust.
"He's one of the new midfielders who knows how to be in the right place at the right time. The goal he scored with his chest against Israel proves it. He's always there. He knows how to make late runs and play vertically.
"He attacks, defends and scores crucial goals. He was decisive last season, despite not being a starter. He has great courage. A player like him gives any coach multiple options, and Inzaghi knows this well."
Nagelsmann pleased with Germany development after Euro 2024 disappointment
Julian Nagelsmann believes Germany have taken the next step in their development after sharing the spoils in an entertaining clash with the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Tijjani Reijnders handed the hosts the lead with just a minute and 39 seconds on the clock, only for Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich to respond before the break.
The Netherlands drew level five minutes into the second half through Denzel Dumfries, leaving the pair joint-top of Group A3 after the opening round of fixtures.
But with German ambitions of being strong contenders at the next World Cup after their Euro 2024 disappointment, Nagelsmann is looking to see improvements in every match despite the tournament being just under two years away.
“There is an awareness that every game is important,” Naglesmann said.
“We have the Nations League now, the qualifiers next year and then hopefully off to the World Cup. We have 18 games left until then - if all goes well.
“The team believes in itself and that is the key. That is what we all want to see. Today we saw a team that wanted to win."
But in an enthralling encounter, Nagelsmann acknowledged that improvements need to be made at both ends of the pitch.
Germany managed just five shots on target from the 21 they attempted, registering an expected goals total (xG) of 2.94 during the contest.
While only restricting the Netherlands to 11 shots, their opponents created four big chances to Germany's three, with the Oranje also winning 53.1% of their duels compared to 46.9% for Nagelsmann's side.
“Both defences were too vulnerable but offensively, we were stronger, tried to create more and took a bit more risk," Nagelsmann said.
“In the early stages of the second half, we tried a little too hard and were maybe a bit too aggressive in the tackles.”
The Germany head coach was particularly pleased with his side's response to falling behind early on Reijnders' finish.
“The way we came back was very good. It took us five or six minutes, but then we were well in the game," Nagelsmann concluded.
Germany continue their Nations League campaign with two away fixtures next month, starting with Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by a reunion with the Dutch on October 14.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
