Football expert Mina Rzouki from Italy commemorates Salvatore “Toto” Schillaci, who passed away at the age of 59.
After starting his club career at Messina, he played for Italian powerhouses Juventus and Inter Milan, earning seven goals in 16 caps for his nation.
Schillaci joined Juventus in 1989, and the team stated: “We fell in love with Toto right away. Every game he played demonstrated his drive, his tale, and his incredibly intense emotion.
“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.”
As a replacement against Austria, Schillaci scored his first goal of the 1990 World Cup. He then earned his first start against Czechoslovakia following another substitute appearance against the United States.
As Italy’s campaign gained steam, Schillaci, who was up front alongside Roberto Baggio, scored another goal. His hero status was further cemented when he scored goals in the quarterfinals against the Republic of Ireland and Uruguay in the knockout phase.
Italy lost on penalties in Naples despite leading 1-0 against Argentina in the semi-final; nonetheless, Schillaci won the Golden Boot with his sixth goal of the competition against England in the third-place play-off.
He would lose out on the 1990 Ballon d’Or to Germany’s captain Lothar Matthaus, who won the World Cup.
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