Italy’s PM leads tributes after death of ‘football icon’ and World Cup hero Salvatore Schillaci

Italy’s Prime Minster has led tributes to Salvatore Schillaci aft the ‘football icon’ and World Cup cult leader died astatine the property of 59.

Giorgia Meloni said: ‘A shot icon leaves us, a antheral who entered the hearts of Italians and sports lovers astir the world.

‘Salvatore Schillaci, known to each arsenic Toto, the bomber of the magical nights of Italia ’90 with our nationalist team.

‘Thank you for the emotions you gave us, for making america dream, cheer, hug and question our Tricolore. Have a bully trip, champion.’

One of Schillaci’s erstwhile clubs, Juventus, added successful a statement: ‘We instantly fell successful emotion with Toto.

‘His desire, his story, his being truthful wonderfully passionate, and it showed successful each crippled helium played.

‘We astatine Juve were fortunate capable to get excited astir him before, successful that unthinkable summertime of 1990, the full of Italy did, captivated by those wonderfully energetic celebrations of his.

‘Because Toto arrived astatine Juve successful 1989, and successful that play helium scored 15 goals successful the league, 4 successful the UEFA Cup and 2 successful the Coppa Italia.

‘Numbers that earned him the Azzurri garment successful the Italian World Cup, which – besides acknowledgment to him – became what we each retrieve arsenic those ‘Magical Nights’.

‘Top scorer successful the contention and, with the nationalist team, third, for an immense corporate imagination lone stopped by those punishment kicks successful Naples.

‘His Juventus communicative went connected for different 2 years, until 1992, making 132 appearances and scoring 36 goals – thirty-six of those magnificent strikes that we present ticker implicit with a lump successful our throats.

‘Ciao, Toto. And convey you.’

More to follow…

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