Totò Schillaci: Great Footballer and a Gentleman

I have had the privilege to personally meet Salvatore Schillaci, better known as Totò Schillaci, the legendary hero who brought us so much joy during those magical nights of the Italia ’90 World Cup, as expressed in the songs by the famous Italian singer Gianna Nannini.

Although I don’t have the football culture and knowledge of the late Gianni Brera, I would still like to write a few lines about Schillaci the footballer and the man, especially as a favour to today’s young sportsmen who did not experience first-hand the emotions of the 1990 World Cup.

I must tell you in advance that I will be using quite colourful expressions, so the more sensitive readers are already warned.

Salvatore Schillaci is a footballer who, more than anyone else, managed to unite opposing fans under the Italian flag. Although he successfully played in various prestigious Italian and Japanese teams, he has always been adored by fans, by opponents and even by people who aren’t interested in football.

He gave us all unforgettable emotions, both when scoring for Italy and so uniting Inter and Milan fans in celebration and making them forget their animosity to each other, and also on the rare occasions when he missed a goal, making even monks swear.

Let’s now analyze the technical skills of the footballer and, in respect of his privacy, only briefly mention the man.

Sporting generosity: Schillaci was in fact a gladiator from Ancient Rome who accidentally ended up playing on a modern football pitch. It’s easy to guess the consequences. Bloodthirsty and fierce, he mocked defenders and, once in front of the net, inevitably scored goals without a word of mercy or compassion, he probably didn’t even know any.

Position awareness and view of the game: Schillaci was usually in the small penalty area and while his opponents were busy looking for mushrooms on the pitch, Totò Schillaci, wild-eyed and crocodile-like, waited patiently for his prey along the banks of the river. In other words, once he touched the ball, all the goalkeeper could do was cry, turn and pick it up, and carry it back to the centre of the pitch.

Intuition and flair for goals: Totò Schillaci had an amazing intuition for the goal that he was about to score. We can even say that he had a great gift for seeing into the future. He could tell 10 minutes beforehand exactly where the ball would enter the penalty area and would wait there as if he was at the bus stop waiting for the bus.

Loving father and family man: Today Salvatore Schillaci is a perfectly fit sportsman, successful entrepreneur and even an actor. He is certainly a man from bygone times with old-fashioned yet never out-of-date values, a man that Italians can still be proud of.