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Born on Dec. 1, 1964, in Palermo, Italy, Salvatore Schillaci — commonly known as Totò Schillaci — was a soccer player who played as a striker.
Throughout his club career, he played for the Italian clubs Messina, Juventus, and Inter Milan before finishing at the Japanese team Júbilo Iwata. At international level, he represented Italy’s under-21s, B team, and senior team.
Schillaci is most famous for his tremendous, memorable performances at the 1990 FIFA World Cup (known colloquially among soccer fans as Italia 90), which took place in his home country. After starting the tournament as a substitute, coming on and scoring the winner in Italy’s opening 1-0 victory against Austria, he finished as the competition’s top scorer with six goals, winning the prestigious World Cup Golden Boot. He also won the Golden Ball trophy, which is given to the tournament’s best player, beating the likes of England’s Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker, West Germany’s Jürgen Klinsmann and Lothar Matthäus, Cameroon’s Roger Milla, and Argentina’s legendary Diego Maradona to the award. Inevitably, he was also included in the tournament’s All-Star team.
In addition to his achievements at the 1990 World Cup, Schillaci’s many honors include winning Serie C1 and Serie C2 with Messina, winning the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup with Juventus, winning the UEFA Cup with Inter Milan, and winning the J.League with Júbilo Iwata. His many additional individual honors include being the top scorer in Serie B in 1988-89, finishing second in the 1990 Ballon d’Or, and being given the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (the most senior Italian order of merit).
Following his retirement from soccer, Schillaci kept himself busy. He ran for Palermo city councilor in 2001, participated in the Italian reality show Island of the Famous in 2004, and, in his final years, managed the Louis Ribolla sports center in Palermo.
Tragically, on Sep. 18, 2024, Schillaci passed away. He was only 59. So what happened to bring his life to such a terribly premature end?
How did Salvatore “Toto” Schillaci die?
According to Goal, Totò Schillaci died from colon cancer after a long battle with the horrible disease that began in 2022. He was admitted to a hospital in Palermo the week before he passed and died there, in the very city where he was born.
Schillaci married twice, first to Rita Bonaccorso and then to Barbara Lombardo, whom he sadly left behind. He is also survived by his three children, Mattia Schillaci, Nicole Schillaci, and Jessica Schillaci.
May Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci rest in eternal peace.