He was one of the heroes of the 1990 World Cup. Now Toto Schillaci has died at the age of just 59.
Former Italy international Toto Schillaci – one of the heroes of the 1990 World Cup – has died at the age of 59. The former Inter Milan and Juventus striker succumbed to cancer in a hospital in Sicily’s capital Palermo, his family announced. Schillaci – whose real first name was Salvatore – had been suffering from cancer for years.
At the 1990 World Cup in his home country – the German team became world champions by beating Argentina in the final – the Sicilian-born player was one of the defining figures, the top scorer of the entire tournament with six goals. He was also named best player. However, even he could not prevent Italy’s defeat in the semi-final against the Albiceleste (3:4 in the final)
“Bomber of the Magic Nights ”
The Gazzetta dello Sport paid tribute to him on Wednesday as the “Bomber delle Notti Magiche” (“Bomber of Magic Nights”). Schillaci only made 16 international appearances in total. At the end of his career in 1994, he became the first Italian footballer to move to Japan, joining Jubilo Iwata. Schillaci was married twice and is survived by three grown-up daughters.
