Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, wide-eyed legend of Italia 90, dies aged 59

Having spent his youth outside the top flight Schillaci burst into international football at Italia 90 and left almost as quickly

Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, the former Italy and Juventus striker, has died at the age of 59.
Schillaci led Italy to their third-place finish on home soil at Italia 90, winning the Golden Boot for his six goals during the tournament, including in the semi-final against Argentina and the third-place victory over England.
The Sicilian’s wide eyes as he celebrated his goals became one of the enduring images of that World Cup.
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.
Schillaci was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022 and was admitted into hospital in Palermo last week and recieved treatment to stabilise his heartbeat.
He was the top scorer in Serie B, the Italian second division, in 1988-89, earning him a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
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.
Juventus said: “We immediately fell in love with Toto. His desire, his story, his being so wonderfully passionate, and it showed in every game he played.
“We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before – in that incredible summer of 1990 – the whole of Italy did, captivated by those wonderfully energetic celebrations of his.”
Inter added: Inter said in a statement: “He made an entire nation dream during the Magic Nights of Italia ‘90. FC Internazionale Milan gathers around the Schillaci family for the passing of Totò.”
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