Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone dies suddenly aged 62

Legendary Italian fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone, who has been part of Antonio Conte’s staff at Tottenham for the past year, has died suddenly at the age of 62.

According to Italian media, the fitness guru – whose notoriously gruelling regimes earned him the nickname ‘The Marine’ in his homeland – passed away on Thursday from acute leukaemia.

Ventrone had been seen in the Tottenham dugout as recently as three weeks ago for the north Londoners’ win over Leicester City, with the news rocking the club.

A statement from Spurs on Thursday confirmed: ‘We are devastated to announce that fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone has passed away.

‘The 61-year-old joined the club in November, 2021, as part of Antonio Conte’s backroom staff, having previously held roles at Juventus, Catania, JS Suning, GZ Evergrande and AC Ajaccio.

‘As loveable off the pitch as he was demanding on it, Gian Piero quickly became a hugely popular figure with players and staff.

‘He will be greatly missed by everyone at the club and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this impossibly sad time.’

Despite his demanding fitness sessions which left players gasping for breath and even vomiting, Ventrone was hugely popular within the dressing room at Spurs and was seen as a father figure by many of the players.

Ventrone’s methods were thrust into the spotlight in the summer, when his infamous running drill – which sees players run 42 lengths of the pitch after a full training session – went viral as Tottenham stars such as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min collapsed to the floor in exhaustion.

Son had a particularly close relationship with Ventrone and praised the Italian after he bagged his hat-trick against Leicester last month.

‘He is a killer but I have a really,