Former Italy striker Salvatore “Toto” Schillaci, renowned for being the top scorer at the 1990 World Cup, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 59.
Juventus was among the Italian football clubs that paid tribute to Schillaci, sharing a heartfelt message on social media that simply read, “Ciao Toto,” accompanied by a photo of him in a Juve shirt.
Italian media reports indicate that Schillaci died at Palermo’s “Civico” hospital after battling bowel cancer.
In honor of his legacy, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced that all matches in Italy until the end of the weekend will observe a “minute of reflection” before kick-off.
“His goal celebrations, in which his face became the symbol of a collective joy, will remain forever part of Italian football heritage,” FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina said in a statement.
Schillaci played for Juventus and Inter Milan after beginning his career in the early 1980s at Messina and had modest success in the club game.
His best club season came just before the 1990 World Cup, when he scored 21 times in all competitions as Juventus won the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup.
But he went from hot club striker to national hero that summer by scoring six times as Italy reached the semi-finals of Italia 90.
“At Juve we were lucky to be excited by him before he did the same to the whole of Italy during that incredible summer of 1990,” said Juventus.
“Goodbye, Toto. Thank you.”
Schillaci won the Golden Boot as the top scorer and also received the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, outperforming legends like Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona, the latter of whom led West Germany to victory.
Italy was eliminated by Argentina in the semifinals, with Maradona playing a pivotal role in the upset against the host nation in front of a home crowd in Naples.
Capped 16 times for Italy, Schillaci scored only one other goal for his country. Four years after the 1990 World Cup, he left Inter Milan to join Jubilo Iwata in Japan, where he concluded his playing career.
