#5 Gianluca Vialli – Chelsea
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Gianluca Vialli was next in line after Gullit’s departure. Brought to the club as a player by the Dutchman, he was part of the squad that won the FA Cup during his reign.
However, he was constantly at loggerheads with Gullit and saw his playing time reduced considerably as a result.
Vialli was the one who would have the last laugh, as he took over mid-season in 1998, also becoming the Premier League’s first Italian manager. The Blues were already in the semi-finals of the League Cup and the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winner’s Cup when he became player-manager.
The club went on to win both competitions with Vialli at the helm. He would also become the youngest-ever manager to win a European Cup, and the record stood until 2011 when Andre Villas-Boas won the Europa League with Porto at the age of 33 years and 213 days.
Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League that year and would finish one spot higher in the next season, just four points behind champions Manchester United.
They also defeated Real Madrid to win the European Super Cup, and two years later, the Italian guided the Blues to another FA Cup, this time as manager.
