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Schillaci’s six goals in a home World Cup in 1990 turned him into a national hero as he helped Italy reach the semifinals.
Published On 18 Sep 2024
Former Italy and Juventus striker Salvatore Schillaci, a star of the 1990 FIFA World Cup on his home soil, has died at the age of 59, his former clubs Inter Milan and Juventus said.
Schillaci led Italy to their third-place finish in 1990, winning the Golden Boot for his six goals during the tournament, including in the semifinal against Argentina and in their third-place victory over England.
“A football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world,” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X on Wednesday.
“Salvatore Schillaci, known by everyone as Toto, the striker from the magic nights of Italia ’90 with our national team. Thanks for the emotions you gave us, for having made us dream, celebrate, embrace, and wave our national flag. Bon voyage, champion.”
Italian media reported that Schillaci died at Palermo’s “Civico” hospital after suffering from bowel cancer.
The Sicilian’s wide eyes as he celebrated his goals became one of the enduring images of that World Cup.
Italy were knocked out on penalties by Argentina in the last four, as Napoli legend Maradona helped dump out the host nation in front of his own fans in Naples.
Schillaci was awarded the Golden Ball as player of the tournament and was later named as the runner-up for the 1990 Ballon d’Or men’s player of the year award, behind World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthaus of West Germany.
He had started Italy’s opening World Cup game as a substitute but came off the bench to score the winner in a 1-0 victory over Austria.
After the excitement of 1990, Schillaci scored only one more goal for Italy and did not appear for them at any other major tournaments.
A small, bustling striker, Schillaci, nicknamed “Toto”, had been a late developer, spending the early years of his career playing in the lower leagues for Sicilian club Messina.
He was the top scorer in Serie B, the Italian second division, in 1988-89, earning him a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
“We immediately fell in love with Toto. With his desire, his story, his passion,” Juventus said in a statement.
“We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before, in that incredible summer of 1990, the whole of Italy did.”
Ciao Totò pic.twitter.com/Wh5IMkIGLt
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) September 18, 2024
Schillaci helped Juventus to claim the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup in 1989-90 before winning the latter trophy again four years later with Inter Milan.
Serie A President Lorenzo Casini paid tribute to Schillaci.
“He was a champion who lit up the “magic nights” of Italia 90,” he said.
“His desire to reach the top levels in soccer has been and will remain a source of inspiration for so many youngsters pursuing their dream of playing in Serie A.”
He then became the first Italian player to play in Japan’s J League and won the league title with his club Jubilo Iwata in 1997.
He retired from football in 1999.
