Italy legend, 1990 World Cup star, dies
Former striker Salvatore Totò Schillaci died this Wednesday (18) at the age of 59, victim of colon cancer. He was the unlikely star of Italy in the 1990 World Cup.
UNLIKELY BRIGHTNESS
Schillaci was playing in the Italian second division a year before being called up for the World Cup held in his home country. He was discovered by Messina and played for the club’s first team for seven seasons. He was the team’s star player and caught the attention of Juventus, who signed him for the 1989/1990 season.
+ Follow UmDois on Threads and BlueSky
The striker qualified for the world tournament thanks to his impressive start at Juventus. He scored 15 goals in his first 30 games, playing a decisive role in the Italian Cup and UEFA Cup titles that season.
He started the World Cup as a reserve, but was decisive in the first game. Italy was drawing in the opening game with Austria until the center forward came on late to score the only goal of the match. He remained on the bench in the second match, against the USA, and took a place in the starting line-up in the third and final match of the group stage, against Czechoslovakia.
He became the national team’s talisman and earned the nickname “The Gunner of Magic Nights”, making the Italians dream. He scored in all the following games, but was unable to prevent elimination in the semi-finals against Argentina. He scored the goal in the 1-1 draw in regular time, but the Italians did not qualify for the final due to a penalty shootout.
He finished as the top scorer, with six goals, and was voted the tournament’s best player even though Italy finished third. He scored a goal and provided an assist in the 2-1 victory over England, in a battle for a place on the podium with Roberto Baggio handing him the ball to take the penalty that decided the match. His performance in the World Cup saw him finish second in the Ballon d’Or rankings, behind only the German and world champion Lothar Matthaus.
AFTER THE SPOTLIGHT
His brilliance at the World Cup was a unique moment in Schillaci’s career — he only scored once more for the national team after the tournament. He ended his career with Italy with seven goals in 16 games, six of which came in the 1990 edition.
He never managed to repeat his goalscoring form and ended his career in 1997. He stayed for another year at Juventus before moving to Inter Milan. He spent the last four seasons in Japanese football before hanging up his boots.
