Salvatore Schillaci, Italy\u2019s 1990 World Cup star, has died at 59 following a battle with bowel cancer
\n Milan
\nSalvatore \u201cToto\u201d Schillaci, Italy\u2019s standout player from the 1990 FIFA World Cup, passed away at the age of 59 after battling bowel cancer. Schillaci\u2019s former clubs, Juventus and Inter Milan, confirmed his death on Wednesday. Known for his remarkable performance in Italy\u2019s home World Cup, Schillaci won the Golden Boot after scoring six goals, leading Italy to a third-place finish.
\n\u201cA football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world,\u201d Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X. Juventus also paid tribute, stating, \u201cWe immediately fell in love with Toto… We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before, in that incredible summer of 1990, the whole of Italy did.\u201d Schillaci\u2019s exuberant goal celebrations became a symbol of Italy\u2019s tournament run, which ended in a semifinal loss to Argentina.
\nSchillaci began the 1990 tournament as a substitute but soon became Italy\u2019s key player, scoring the winning goal in their opening match against Austria. Despite his fame from the World Cup, Schillaci only scored one more goal for the national team and retired from international football shortly after.
\nHis club career saw him win the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup with Juventus, followed by another UEFA Cup title with Inter Milan.
\nSerie A President Lorenzo Casini honored Schillaci\u2019s legacy, saying, \u201cHe was a champion who lit up the \u2018magic nights\u2019 of Italia \u201990.\u201d Schillaci later became the first Italian player in Japan\u2019s J-League, where he won a title with Jubilo Iwata in 1997 before retiring in 1999.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Salvatore Schillaci, Italy\u2019s 1990 World Cup star, has died at 59 following a battle with bowel cancer Milan Salvatore \u201cToto\u201d Schillaci, Italy\u2019s standout player from the 1990 FIFA World Cup, passed away at the age of 59 after battling bowel cancer. Schillaci\u2019s former clubs, Juventus and Inter Milan, confirmed his death on Wednesday. Known for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n