Salvatore Schillaci facts for kids
Schillaci in 2009
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Salvatore Schillaci | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 December 1964 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Palermo, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 18 September 2024 (aged 59) | |||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Palermo, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | AMAT Palermo | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1982–1989 | Messina | 219 | (61) | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Juventus | 90 | (26) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Internazionale | 30 | (11) | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Júbilo Iwata | 78 | (56) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 417 | (154) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Italy U21 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1989 | Italy B | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Italy | 16 | (7) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Salvatore "Totò" Schillaci (born 1 December 1964 – died 18 September 2024) was a famous Italian footballer. He played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score goals.
Schillaci played for several clubs during his career. These included Messina, Juventus, Internazionale, and Júbilo Iwata in Japan.
He became a huge star at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This big tournament was held in Italy, his home country. Schillaci was a surprise player who helped Italy finish in third place. He scored six goals in the tournament. This made him the top goalscorer, winning the Golden Boot. He also won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.
Contents
Club Career: From Messina to Japan
Salvatore Schillaci was born in Palermo, Italy. He came from a family that didn't have much money. He started playing football for a local amateur team called Amat Palermo.
In 1982, he joined Messina, a club in Sicily. He played there for seven years until 1989. During his time at Messina, he showed everyone how good he was at scoring goals. In the 1988–89 Serie B season, he was the top scorer. He scored 23 goals in that league.
After Messina, Schillaci moved to Turin to play for Juventus. This is one of Italy's biggest football clubs. He played his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A, on 27 August 1989. That year, Juventus won two important trophies: the Coppa Italia (Italy's main cup competition) and the UEFA Cup (a big European club competition). Schillaci scored 15 league goals and 21 goals in total that season.
Because he was so good at attacking, the coach of the Italian national team, Azeglio Vicini, picked him for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This was a big surprise because Schillaci was new to playing for the national team.
After the 1990 World Cup, Schillaci stayed at Juventus for two more years. He played alongside another famous Italian player, Roberto Baggio. Later, he joined Internazionale (often called Inter Milan). He faced some injuries after the World Cup, which made his time at Inter a bit harder.
In 1994, Schillaci moved to Japan. He joined a club called Júbilo Iwata. He was the first Italian player to play in the J.League, which is Japan's top football league. He helped Júbilo Iwata win the J.League title in 1997. He stopped playing football in 1999.
International Career: World Cup Star
Salvatore Schillaci played for Italy's Under-21 team before joining the senior national team. His first game for the senior Italian team was on 31 March 1990. It was a friendly match against Switzerland, which Italy won 1-0.
He was then chosen for Italy's squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This World Cup was special because it was held in Italy.
In Italy's first match against Austria, Schillaci came on as a substitute. He scored the winning goal, and Italy won 1-0. In the next game against Czechoslovakia, he started alongside Roberto Baggio. Both Schillaci and Baggio scored, and Italy won 2-0.
Schillaci continued to score in the knockout stages. He scored against Uruguay in the Round of 16. He also scored against the Republic of Ireland in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-final match, Italy played against the defending champions, Argentina. Schillaci scored his fifth goal of the tournament. The game ended 1-1, but Italy lost in a penalty shoot-out.
Italy then played against England for third place. Schillaci scored the winning goal from a penalty kick. Italy won 2-1 and finished third in the World Cup. With six goals, he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer. He also won the Golden Ball Award as the best player of the tournament.
Overall, Schillaci scored seven goals in 16 games for Italy between 1990 and 1991. His last goal for Italy was in a game against Norway in 1991.
Playing Style: A Goal Machine
Schillaci was a small, fast, and quick striker. He was very good at scoring goals. He was known for being in the "right place at the right time." This meant he was great at knowing where the ball would go. He could quickly get to the ball before defenders.
He was good at scoring from inside and outside the penalty area. He could also score with powerful shots and even with his head, even though he wasn't very tall. He was also good at taking penalty kicks.
His former coach, Francesco Scoglio, once said that he had "never seen a player who wanted to score as much as him." This shows how determined Schillaci was to find the back of the net.
Life After Football
Salvatore Schillaci stopped playing football in 1999. He went back to his hometown of Palermo. There, he opened a youth football academy. This academy helps young players learn and develop their football skills.
A former captain of the South Africa national team, Steven Pienaar, was nicknamed Schillo after Salvatore Schillaci.
Personal Life and Passing
Salvatore Schillaci was often called "Totò" by his friends and fans.
His nephew, Francesco Di Mariano, and his cousin, Antonio Maurizio Schillaci, also became professional footballers. Salvatore Schillaci was married twice and had three children. He was a Roman Catholic.
Sadly, Salvatore Schillaci passed away on 18 September 2024, at the age of 59. Many football clubs and fans shared their sadness. Inter Milan said that he "made an entire nation dream during the Magic Nights of Italia 90."
Honours
Messina
- Serie C: 1985–86
- Serie C2: 1982–83
Juventus
- Coppa Italia: 1989–90
- UEFA Cup: 1989–90
Internazionale
- UEFA Cup: 1993–94
Júbilo Iwata
- J.League: 1997
Italy
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1990
Individual Awards
- Serie B Top-scorer: 1988–89
- 1990 FIFA World Cup: Golden Boot (Top Scorer)
- 1990 FIFA World Cup: Golden Ball (Best Player)
- 1990 FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team
- Ballon d'Or (2nd place): 1990
- Onze d'Argent: 1990
Orders
- Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: 1991
Images for kids
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Schillaci in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Salvatore Schillaci para niños
