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, among other Italian football clubs, paid tribute to Schillaci with a social media post reading “Ciao Toto” alongside a photo of him in a Juve shirt.
Reports indicate that Schillaci died at Palermo’s “Civico” hospital due to complications from bowel cancer.
The Italian football federation (FIGC) announced that all matches in Italy until the end of the coming weekend will include a “minute of reflection” before kick-off.
FIGC chief Gabriele Gravina stated, “His goal celebrations, in which his face became the symbol of a collective joy, will remain forever part of Italian football heritage.”
Schillaci, who began his career at Messina in the early 1980s, played for Juventus and Inter Milan, achieving notable success with Juventus just before the 1990 World Cup. That season, he scored 21 goals across all competitions, helping Juventus win the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup.
His outstanding performance at the 1990 World Cup, where he scored six goals and led Italy to the semi-finals, elevated him from a prominent club striker to a national hero.
Juventus remarked, “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.” They concluded, “Goodbye, Toto. Thank you.”