'Toto' Schillaci: Iconic Italian forward who lit up 1990 World Cup and denied England a bronze medal dies
Former Italian international striker and star of the the 1990 World Cup, Salvatore Schillaci, has died aged 59, following a two year battle with colon cancer.
The legendary forward rose to prominence during Italia 90 when he was named part of the Azzurri squad for the tournament, despite being a relatively unknown striker at the time, and went on to beat Lothar Matthäus and Diego Maradona to the Golden Boot as Italy made it to the semi-finals.
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Hide AdThere were fears for Schillaci’s health in recent weeks after the 16-cap player was rushed to Civico hospital in Palmero after reportedly suffering from pneumonia. The ex-Italy forward had undergone two operations since his diagnosis two years ago, but has now sadly lost his battle with the disease.


Nicknamed ‘Totò ’ by the Italian media, Schillaci was the undoubted star of Italia 90, growing into his nation’s most important player, despite beginning the tournament as back up to both Gianluca Vialli and Andrea Carnevale. Scoring six times in total, Schillaci would score every goal for the team but two, and was awarded the title of ‘best player’ alongside his Golden Boot.
He also denied England the bronze medal by scoring the winning penalty in the third/fourth place match between the beaten semi-finalists at Italy claimed a 2-1 victory.
He won plenty of silverware at club level too. With Turin giants Juventus, Schillaci won both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup before moving to Inter Milan, where he won the UEFA Cup once more in 1994. He also came second in the prestigious Ballon d'Or awards in 1990 after his astonishing performances at the World Cup that summer.
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Hide AdHe also won both Serie B and Serie C with Messina in his teenage years, and ended his career by lifting the J-League title with Japanese side Júbilo Iwata in 1998. In total, Schillaci scored 181 goals in 498 career games.
Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Federation, said: “His face was a symbol of shared joy (and) will forever remain a common heritage of Italian football.
“Toto was a great footballer, a tenacious symbol of will and redemption, he was able to thrill the Azzurri fans because his football was full of passion. And it was precisely this indomitable spirit that made him appreciated by everyone and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci’s family announced last week he had been admitted to hospital.
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Hide AdThe family posted on social media on Wednesday that those wishing to pay a final farewell to Schillaci could do so at the Renza Barbera stadium in his home city of Palermo until Thursday, with the precise timings being published by the city authorities.
The statement concluded: “Ciao Totò you will forever be in our hearts “
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