PAUL McGRATH paid tribute to Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci following the World Cup legend’s untimely death.
Schillaci – who broke Republic of Ireland hearts in the quarter-finals at Italia 90 – passed away on Wednesday at the age of 59.
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The former Juventus and Internazionale striker scored six goals at the 1990 World Cup as the host nation finished third and he took home the Golden Boot.
In the aftermath of his passing, Irish football fans put aside painful memories of the Italia 90 quarter-final to pay tribute to him.
Leading these was Paul McGrath, who was part of Jack Charlton‘s side that were knocked out by ‘Toto’ in the last eight.
The ex-Ireland defender tweeted: “So sad to hear the passing of Italy’s Toto Schillaci, what a player and goal scorer. RIP #respect”
Read More on Toto Schillaci
It prompted a deluge of tributes from Irish supporters, who lovingly referred to him as a “pantomime villain”.
The official Ireland Football Twitter account posted: “Our condolences to the family and friends of Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci following his passing.
“He will always be a part of Irish football folklore. Rest in peace.”
Sean said: “Very sad to learn of the death of Toto Schillaci
“While he might have scored against us, Irish people have great affection for Toto because he was arguably THE iconic name from the best summer of our lives”
Another posted: “He broke my #Irish heart when I was 12 & he was a pantomime villain for years in #Ireland but I know all @IrelandFootball fans today are very sad to hear of the passing of the great #Italy striker Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci.
“We bore no grudge. Ciao “Totò”.”
Someone else tweeted: “Such sad news to hear of the death of Italian striker Toto Schillaci at just 59.
“Toto was the villain of the piece when we bowed out at the World Cup at the quarter-final stage in Rome in 1990 but Toto is remembered with great affection in this country.
“Rest in peace Toto.”
Schillaci’s superb career
A brief look at the career of an Italian hero…
Club Career
- 1982-1989 – Messina (219 apps, 61 goals)
- 1989-1992 – Juventus (90 apps, 26 goals)
- 1992-1994 – Inter Milan (30 apps, 11 goals)
- 1994-1997 – Jubilo Iwata (86 apps, 58 goals)
International Career
- Caps: 16
- Goals: 7
- Assists: 1
Honours
- 1 x World Cup Golden Boot
- 2 x Uefa Cup winner
- 1 x Italian Cup winner
- 1 x J-League top scorer
- 1 x Serie B top scorer
Sean said: “Rest in Peace Toto Schillaci
“Broke Irish hearts in 1990, but will forever be remembered how he took the world by storm at that World Cup.
“We were all Schillaci in the playgrounds that year”
LEGENDARY CAREER
The Azzuri icon spent the bulk of his career at Sicilian side ACR Messina, where he made 219 appearances and scored 61 goals.
Across all four of his clubs, Schillaci made a total of 417 appearances and found the back of the net an impressive 154 times.
While he won the UEFA Cup twice, once with Juventus in 1990 and once with Inter in 1994.
Schillaci also won the the Italian Cup with Juve in 1990, a year that saw him lift two trophies and win the World Cup Golden Boot.
His incredible campaign saw him earn a second place finish in that year’s Ballon d’Or standings.
Tributes have poured in for Schillaci given the incredible impact he had on Italian football.
Former club Juve wrote: “We immediately fell in love with Totò.
“His desire, his story, his being so wonderfully passionate, and it showed in every game he played.
“We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before, in that incredible summer of 1990, the whole of Italy did, captivated by those wonderfully energetic celebrations of his.”
While Inter Milan posted on social media: “He made an entire nation dream during the Magic Nights of Italia ’90.
“FC Internazionale Milano gathers around the Schillaci family for the passing of Totò.”
And the Italian national team simply posted: “Ciao Toto. Hero of the Magic Nights.”