September 19 – Salvatore ‘Totò’ Schillaci, the Italian striker who was top scorer at the 1990 World Cup on home soil, has died aged 59 after being admitted to hospital following treatment for colon cancer.
Despite his six goals at the tournament, he could not guide the Azzurri to victory – they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Argentina.
He became a national icon regardless, earning not only the World Cup Golden Boot award but also the Golden Ball Award for best overall player, beating the likes of Argentina’s Diego Maradona and Germany’s Lothar Matthaus.
Schillaci, whose club teams included Juventus and Inter Milan, exceeded expectations at the World Cup, having only featured once for Italy before.
But he came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria and scored the only goal to guide the hosts to a 1-0 victory. Another of his goals was a penalty against England to secure Italy a win in the tournament’s third-place play-off.
He made a total of 16 appearances for Italy during his career, adding one more goal to the six he scored in Italia 1990. He retired from football in 1999.
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni led tributes for Schillaci, writing on the X social media platform: “A football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world.
“Thanks for the emotions you gave us, for having made us dream, celebrate, embrace, and wave our national flag. Bon voyage, champion.”
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
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