Schillaci made history by netting six goals to claim the Golden Boot at the 1990 World Cup, held in Italy. Despite Italy’s semi-final exit, he was also awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, earning national hero status.
In 2022, Schillaci was diagnosed with colon cancer.
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Capped 16 times for Italy, with seven international goals, Schillaci played for top clubs Juventus and Inter Milan after starting his professional career with Messina.
Juventus, whom Schillaci joined in 1989, said: “We immediately fell in love with Toto. His desire, his story, his being so wonderfully passionate, and it showed in every game he played.
“We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before – in that incredible summer of 1990 – the whole of Italy did, captivated by those wonderfully energetic celebrations of his.”
Schillaci netted his first goal of the 1990 World Cup as a substitute in Italy’s match against Austria. After another appearance off the bench against the United States, he earned his first start against the Czech Republic, where he scored again, establishing himself as a key player in Italy’s campaign.
Teaming up with Roberto Baggio in attack, Schillaci continued his scoring streak, finding the net in Italy’s knockout stage victories over Uruguay and the Republic of Ireland in the quarter-finals.
Though Schillaci opened the scoring in the semi-final against Argentina, Italy ultimately fell in a penalty shootout in Naples. However, he secured the Golden Boot by scoring his sixth goal of the tournament in the third-place play-off against England.
Schillaci’s World Cup heroics saw him finish runner-up to Germany’s captain Lothar Matthäus for the 1990 Ballon d’Or.
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Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said: “A football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world.
“The striker from the magic nights of Italia ’90 with our national team. Thanks for the emotions you gave us, for having made us dream, celebrate, embrace and wave our national flag.”
Serie A president Lorenzo Casini described Schillaci as “a champion who lit up the magical nights of the 1990 World Cup in Italy”.
“His desire to emerge and reach the highest levels of football has been and will continue to be a source of inspiration for the many young people who chase the dream of playing in Serie A.”
Schillaci scored only one more goal for Italy and did not appear for his nation again at a major tournament.
He became the first Italian player to play in Japan’s J-League before retiring in 1999.
The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, said of Schillaci: “His face was a symbol of shared joy [and] will forever remain a common heritage of Italian football.
“Toto was a great footballer, a tenacious symbol of will and redemption. He was able to thrill the Azzurri fans because his football was full of passion and it was precisely this indomitable spirit that made him appreciated by everyone and will make him immortal.”
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