Italy’s World Cup Icon Schillaci Dies, Aged 59

Italian icon Salvatore Schillaci, the top scorer at the 1990 World Cup, has died aged 59. Schillaci, better known as ‘Toto’, scored six goals to win the Golden Boot at the 1990 World Cup on home soil.

Italy lost in the semifinals, but Schillaci was also awarded the Golden Ball as the best player and gained hero status. Schillaci was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022.

Capped 16 times for his country, scoring seven goals, he represented Italian giants Juventus and Inter Milan after beginning his club career at Messina. Juventus, whom Schillaci joined in 1989, 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.”