Many say that Italia ’90 was the worst World Cup ever.Too few goals. Too many goalless draws. Hooliganism in the stands. A final decided by a single penalty in the dying minutes.
Thankfully, I was too young to remember all that.
What stayed with me was the romantic part.
Roger Milla’s dancing and those baggy Cameroon shirts.
René Higuita trying to drible that same Milla… and getting punished for it.
Jack Charlton’s unbreakable Ireland.
David Platt’s last-minute volley against Belgium.
My club’s goalkeeper, Tomislav Ivković, saving a penalty from Maradona.
And of course… Totò Schillaci.
This small and dynamic striker who came out of nowhere and became a legend.
So, as if we needed an excuse - let’s revisit the life and career of the man who won the Golden Boot and captured the world’s heart.
Let’s remember where he came from… and where he went to.
The Sicilian Spark
Totò Schillaci was born on December 1, 1964, in Palermo, Sicily - into a humble, working-class family. He was no prodigy groomed in Milanello or Appiano Gentile. He came from the dirt fields and asphalt courts of southern Italy, where talent had to be carved out with grit, not glory.
His professional journey began in 1982 with Messina, then in Serie C2. He spent seven gruelling seasons with the Sicilian side, grinding through the brutal underbelly of Italian football. It was there - on dusty pitches, in front of sparse crowds - that Schillaci sharpened his instincts. He was not elegant. He was electric. Twitchy, intense, always on the move - chasing rebounds, hunting defenders, living for the next loose ball.
By the 1988-89 season, he had matured into a lethal striker. His 23 goals that campaign made him Capocannoniere of Serie B and sparked national attention. He had powered Messina to the brink of Serie A, and Juventus took notice.
In the summer of 1989, Juve paid 6 billion lire (approx. €3 million) for his signature-a bold investment for a player with no top-flight experience. It was a transformative summer in Turin. The Bianconeri were rebuilding after finishing fourth. They said goodbye to World Cup winner Alessandro Altobelli and Danish playmaker Michael Laudrup (bound for Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona). In came Schillaci and 21-year-old Pierluigi Casiraghi from Monza.
With Soviet midfield enforcer Sergei Aleinikov, Portuguese dynamo Rui Barros, and veteran elegance from Giancarlo Marocchi, the team clicked. Schillaci’s fiery energy became a weapon. He scored 15 goals in Serie A-finishing just behind giants like Marco van Basten, Diego Maradona, and Roberto Baggio. Across all competitions, he tallied 21 goals.
Juventus had silverware again. They defeated Arrigo Sacchi’s legendary Milan side-then reigning European champions-in the Coppa Italia final. They also won the UEFA Cup, beating Fiorentina in an all-Italian final. This was the golden age of Serie A, and Schillaci had arrived at its summit.
The Forgotten Forward
Timing is everything. To hit top form before a home World Cup is the stuff of dreams. But even so, as Italy finalised their squad for Italia ’90, Schillaci was far from a headline name.
The attacking options for Azeglio Vicini were dazzling:
Roberto Baggio, Fiorentina’s 23-year-old wizard, soon to be transferred to Juventus.
Gianluca Vialli, the Sampdoria talisman who had just fired them to the Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Roberto Mancini, Vialli’s cerebral partner-in-crime at Samp.
Andrea Carnevale, the bruising, hard-working Napoli striker who had won the Scudetto alongside Maradona and Careca.
Aldo Serena, Inter’s tall, elegant number nine, and Serie A’s top scorer in 1988–89.
Schillaci? He was a late inclusion. His Italy debut came in March 1990-just three months before the World Cup. One cap. No goals. He was expected to watch from the bench.
Grabbing the Opportunity
June 9, 1990. Opening night at Stadio Olimpico, Rome. Italy vs Austria. The Azzurri lined up with all the weight of expectation on their shoulders. The defence, as always, was Italy’s pride:
Walter Zenga in goal;
Giuseppe Bergomi, Franco Baresi, Riccardo Ferri, and Paolo Maldini at the back.
In midfield, Roberto Donadoni for width, Carlo Ancelotti for experience, Fernando De Napoli for energy, and Giuseppe Giannini as the elegant playmaker.
Up front Vialli and Carnevale started. No Schillaci.
But the match was cagey. Austria were disciplined, Italy were tense. With the score still 0–0 in the 75th minute, Vicini made a change.
On came Schillaci.
Three minutes later, Vialli danced down the right and sent in a pinpoint cross. Totò met it with a bullet header-his first touch of the match. A 1.73m Sicilian rising amongst Austrian giants. Cue the explosion: in the stadium, across the country, and in his life.
Fireworks in the Night
From that moment, Italia ’90 was his tournament.
He remained on the bench for the second match, against the United States, but came on in the 51st minute. The match ended 1–0, with Giannini scoring early. Italy were unconvincing. The press began murmuring: Schillaci looked sharper than the starters.
On June 19, with Italy already qualified, Vicini gave Schillaci a full start against Czechoslovakia-paired with Baggio. What followed was glorious.
Schillaci struck the opener, clean and clinical. Then Baggio scored the goal of the tournament-a dazzling solo effort that still lives in highlight reels. The duo played the full 90 minutes. A new partnership was born. Italy, finally, had flair and fire.
They topped the group with three wins, four goals, and none conceded. Zenga’s clean sheet streak extended to record-breaking territory.
The Knockout Round
In the Round of 16, they faced Uruguay, led by playmaker Enzo Francescoli, the “Prince” of South American football. Once again, it was Schillaci who broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, ghosting into the box and unleashing a low shot past Fernando Álvez.
In the quarter-final against Ireland, a resolute side led by Jack Charlton, Schillaci pounced on a Donadoni rebound in the 38th minute. It was scrappy, instinctive, and decisive. 1–0. Another winner. Another hero’s roar.
Then came July 3, 1990-the semi-final against Argentina in Naples. It was more than a football match. Maradona, Napoli’s adopted king, asked local fans to support Argentina. The city was torn. The atmosphere was electric.
Italy struck first-Schillaci, again. A poacher’s goal in the 17th minute after a Giannini shot was parried. But Argentina levelled through Claudio Caniggia in the second half. It went to penalties.
Argentina had survived penalties against Yugoslavia thanks to Sergio Goycochea. They did it again. Donadoni’s effort was saved. Aldo Serena, the man Schillaci had supplanted, missed the final kick. Argentina advanced. Italy’s dream was over.
Third Place, First in our Hearts
Italy faced England in the third-place playoff in Bari. Another nation stung by penalty heartbreak. Schillaci and Baggio started together.
Totò assisted Baggio’s opening goal and then, in the 86th minute, coolly converted a penalty to win the match 2–1. It was his sixth goal in seven matches.
He won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball-the tournament’s top scorer and best player. From forgotten squad member to global icon in under a month.
The Vanishing Star
Schillaci returned to Juventus a national treasure. But the fire had dimmed. In 1990–91, he scored just five goals in 29 league games. Juventus finished a dismal seventh. The next season was little better: six goals, a second-place finish behind invincible AC Milan.
The emergence of Casiraghi, the arrival of Baggio, and the pressure of expectation all weighed heavily. In 1992, Schillaci was sold to Inter Milan for €4.4 million.
There, he struggled. The goals dried. Injuries mounted. Rubén Sosa led the line. Schillaci and Darko Pančev, both hyped arrivals, failed to deliver. When Dennis Bergkamp arrived in 1993, Schillaci faded further into the shadows.
Big in Japan
In 1994, Schillaci made an unexpected move: to Japan. He joined Júbilo Iwata, one of the first European stars to embrace the newly formed J.League.
There, he found joy again. He scored 56 goals in 78 matches. In 1997, he led Júbilo to the J.League title and was named in the Best XI. In Japan, he wasn’t just a player-he was an ambassador for Italian football, a beacon for a burgeoning league. He retired in 1998.
Life After the Roar
Back in Palermo, Schillaci remained close to his roots. He opened a football academy and avoided the limelight. No punditry, no politics. He had lived his story. That was enough.
In September 2024, Schillaci passed away at the age of 59 after a battle with colon cancer. The country mourned. For those who remembered that summer, it felt deeply personal.
He wasn’t just a star. He was ours.
More Than a Moment
Why didn’t it last?
Because some careers burn slow and steady. Others burn fast-and blind us with brilliance.
Schillaci’s was the latter. His style was high-octane, emotional, unsustainable. But in a football world increasingly governed by metrics and management, his story remains a romantic outlier.
He reminds us that football is still magic. That in one month, a man from Palermo can become immortal.
Totò Schillaci lived that dream. And for one golden summer, he made it ours too.
Legacy
Salvatore Schillaci ended his international career with 16 caps and 7 goals. Six of those came during Italia ’90. To this day, no Italian player has ever scored more goals in a single World Cup.
While others-Rossi, Del Piero, Totti-had longer tenures with the Azzurri, Totò achieved something they never did: becoming the heartbeat of a nation, and the symbol of a summer. A shooting star. A tournament defined by one name.
Ciao, Totò.
