| |
Schillaci clinched the golden boot with six goals in 1990. Simon Bruty/Allsport |
At the start of the 1990 World Cup, "Toto" Schillaci was a virtual unknown. He had only made his Italian debut a few weeks before the finals and earned his place in the squad on the merits of one season at Juventus after spending most of his career in Italy's lower leagues.
By the end the Sicilian was a national hero and one of the most recognizable soccer players on the planet.
With Italy's opening game against Austria deadlocked, Schillaci came off the bench and grabbed a late winner. He was used as a substitute again against the United States and did enough to earn a starting place in Italy's final match against Czechoslovakia, scoring again in a 2-1 win and linking up well with Roberto Baggio.
Having displaced Gianluca Vialli from the team, Schillaci couldn't stop scoring. Another opportunist close-range strike set Italy on course for a 2-0 win over Uruguay in the second round. In the quarterfinals he scored the only goal of the game against Ireland as well as having another effort disallowed and thumping a shot against the bar.
Schillaci scored again in the semifinal with Argentina in Naples, but Italy's thrilling run came to an abrupt end as Claudio Caniggia's equalizer sent the match to penalties, which Italy lost.
For Schillaci there was the consolation of the golden boot, which he clinched with a penalty against England in the third-place playoff, his sixth goal of the competition. His career never again reached the heights of 1990 again, and he drifted out of Serie A, finishing his career in the J-League.
