Italy mourns Italia '90 hero Schillaci who has died following a long battle with cancer.

Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci, the legendary Italian footballer best known for his iconic performance in the 1990 World Cup, died in hospital in Sicily on Wednesday aged 59.

Schillaci, who in addition to Italy played for Juventus and Inter Milan, had been receiving treatment for colon cancer for several years and was admitted to Palermo's Civico hospital in a serious condition earlier this month.

Tributes began flooding in on Wednesday morning for Schillaci whose impressive goal-scoring ability saw him being snapped up by Serie A club Juventus in 1989 after starting his professional football career in Serie B with Messina in the early 1980s.

Ci lascia un'icona del calcio, un uomo entrato nel cuore degli italiani e degli amanti dello sport nel mondo. Salvatore Schillaci, per tutti Totò, il bomber delle notti magiche di Italia '90 con la nostra Nazionale. Grazie per le emozioni che ci hai regalato, per averci fatto… pic.twitter.com/3CWIACgAth

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 18, 2024

Schillaci quickly made an impact at Juventus, becoming a regular goal-scorer and helping the team to secure the Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup in 1990.

He would go on to achieve international fame during the 1990 World Cup, hosted by Italy, when he emerged as the country's surprise star player.

Arriving at the tournament with only one cap for Italy, Schillaci wasn't considered a first choice by manager Azeglio Vicini who initially picked him as a substitute player.

When Schillaci got his big chance on the field, however, nobody expected what would happen next.

He scored six goals, earning him the Golden Boot as the World Cup's top scorer and the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.

Schillaci also captured the hearts of the nation and became an Italian hero overnight.

"Not even a madman could ever have imagined what was going to happen to me" - Schillaci admitted subsequently - "There are periods in the life of a football player when you can do anything. For me, this state of grace coincided with the World Cup. Somebody up there decided that I should become the hero of Italia '90."

Following his meteroic rise at the World Cup, Schillaci’s form began to decline.

He moved to Inter Milan in 1992, but his success was limited by injury. In 1994 he left Italy to play for Jubilo Iwata in Japan's J-League, where he spent the final years of his career before retiring in 1997.

Schillaci made a total of 120 appearances in Serie A matches, scoring 37 goals, however he will be best remembered for the "magic nights" of Italia '90 and one of the most iconic performances in Italian football history.