Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone has tragically died aged 61.
The Italian joined Spurs in 2021 as part of Antonio Conte’s side.
Ventrone died suddenly of fulminant leukemia on Thursday morning.
A Spurs statement read: “We are devastated to announce that fitness trainer Gian Piero Ventrone has passed away.
“As lovable off the pitch as he was demanding, Gian Piero has quickly become a hugely popular figure with players and staff alike.
“He will be greatly missed by everyone at the Club and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”
Nicknamed ‘The Marine’ due to his intense training, the Napoli native enjoyed two spells at Juventus – first from 1994 to 1999 and then from 2011 to 2004.
During his time with the Old Lady, he worked under the likes of Marcello Lippi and Carlo Ancelotti.
He then moved to France to become assistant manager at Ajaccio, while he also enjoyed time in China at Jiangsu Suning and Guangzhou Evergrande.
And Ventrone was even a member of Lippi’s coaching staff for the Italian national team that won the World Cup in 2006.
Ventrone was held in high respect by the Tottenham squad, with Son Heung-min recently congratulating him after his hat-trick against Leicester.
The pair were seen hugging after the 6-2 win over the Foxes last month.
Son said: “I have a very, very good relationship with Gian Piero.
“So obviously his English is not perfect, sometimes he comes with his phone and translates into English from Italian.
“It means a lot. Not so footballingly speaking, I think in life he gives me so much advice, which I’m really grateful for.
“He was so helpful, always giving me a big hug in difficult times and even in good times he was always next to me and every member of staff.
“Even today, before leaving the training ground, the hotel, we had a few minutes to have a nice chat which made me really feel at ease and really grateful.”
It has been announced that his funeral will take place in Naples on Sunday afternoon.
Conte has since canceled his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s away clash at Brighton.