Former Italy striker Salvatore “Toto” Schillaci, best known for being the top scorer at the 1990 World Cup, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 59.
Juventus, among several Italian football clubs, paid tribute to Schillaci, who became a national icon for his unexpected goalscoring heroics at Italy’s home World Cup. The club simply posted “Ciao Toto” on social media, alongside a photo of him in a Juventus shirt.
Italian media reported that Schillaci died at Palermo’s Civico Hospital after battling bowel cancer.
The Italian Football Federation announced that all matches played in Italy until the end of the upcoming weekend would observe a “minute of reflection” before kick-off.
“His goal celebrations, where his face became the symbol of collective joy, will forever be a part of Italian football heritage,” FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said in a statement.
Schillaci played for Juventus and Inter Milan after beginning his career in the early 1980s at Messina, with moderate success at the club level.
His best club season came just before the 1990 World Cup when he scored 21 goals in all competitions as Juventus won both the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup.
However, he rose from being a hot club striker to a national hero that summer, scoring six times as Italy reached the semi-finals of Italia ’90.
“At Juve, we were fortunate to experience his brilliance before he enthralled the entire nation during that incredible summer of 1990,” Juventus said in a statement. “Goodbye, Toto. Thank you.”
Schillaci won the Golden Boot for top scorer and the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, ahead of notable figures like Lothar Matthäus and Diego Maradona, the latter of whom won the tournament with West Germany.
Italy were eliminated on penalties by Argentina in the semi-finals, with Napoli legend Maradona playing a key role in knocking out the host nation in Naples.
Schillaci, who was capped 16 times for his country, scored only one more goal for Italy after the 1990 World Cup. Four years later, he left Inter for Jubilo Iwata in Japan, where he ended his playing career.
AFP
