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Italia 90 top scorer Salvatore Schillaci was admitted to the hospital over the weekend, raising concerns across the soccer world. Schillaci netted six goals to become one of the tournament’s breakout stars. Schillaci, who is nicknamed ‘Totò,’ had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022.
The former Italian soccer player’s family provided a positive brief statement on the Italian’s current condition.
“Given the countless calls from the media and the nasty rumors circulating, we clarify that our beloved Totò is in stable condition and is continuously checked by an expert team of doctors night and day. Come on, Totò.”
Schillaci’s rise to World Cup glory
Italia 90 featured the tears of Paul Gascoigne against West Germany. Italians remember the tournament for Schillaci’s rise from relative obscurity to national heroism. To this day, it remains one of the romantic narratives of the 1990 World Cup.
The striker was part of a 22-man World Cup squad which featured a top-heavy attack. Roberto Baggio, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Andrea Carnevale and Aldo Serena were all ahead of Schillaci in the international pecking order. Furthermore, soccer regulations in the 1990s only allowed five substitutes.
In Serie A, Schillaci’s Juventus side was flailing behind the likes of Napoli, Milan and Internazionale. The Old Lady had finished fourth in the league. However, only Marco Van Basten (19), Roberto Baggio (17) and Diego Maradona (16) had scored more goals than Schillaci in the 1989/90 season. At 25 years old, Schillaci was thriving at the club level. He had yet to make a significant impact on the international stage.
The Italian forward had only played once for the national team before Italia 90. This was in a 1-0 friendly win against Switzerland. He had impressed Italy manager Azeglio Vicini in the lead-up to the tournament.
In the opening World Cup game against Austria, Toto’s ascent to heroism began. Vicini opted to…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/health-concerns-for-italia-90-hero-salvatore-schillaci/
Author : Abdullah Mamaniyat
Publish date : 2024-09-09 21:15:44
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