Former Italy striker Salvatore Schillaci, a star of the 1990 World Cup on home soil, died at the age of 59, his former clubs Inter Milan and Juventus said on Wednesday.
Schillaci led Italy to their third-place finish in 1990, winning the Golden Boot for his six goals during the tournament, including in the semi-final against Argentina and in their third-place victory over England.
Schillaci, who was born in the Sicilian city of Palermo and was hospitalised there, suffered from colon cancer, Italian media reports said. “A football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world,” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X.