Ireland legend Ray Houghton 'devastated' about death of Italian striker ace Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci
Exclusive: The footballing world is reeling after the ex-Juventus star’s family announced he had died following a battle with colon cancer at the age of 59
by Danny De Vaal · Irish MirrorIreland legend Ray Houghton revealed he’s “devastated” at the death of former Italian striker Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci who passed away today.
The footballing world is reeling after the ex-Juventus star’s family announced he had died following a battle with colon cancer at the age of 59.
Schillaci, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2022, had been admitted to the Civico Hospital in Palermo earlier this month where his condition had initially been described as “stable”.
READ MORE: Bodies of two babies found in house of horrors garden of babysitter, 22 - including one buried alive
The Italian is known for breaking the nation’s hearts when he sent Jack Charlton’s men home after he scored the only goal during Ireland's World Cup quarter-final clash with Italy on June 30, 1990, in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Boys in Green legend Houghton, who was playing when Schillaci scored, said the former striker was a “lovely fella” and told how the pair had met up a couple of times after they hung up their boots.
The player-turned-pundit, 62, told The Irish Mirror/Star: “I’m devastated by the news. I’m just so saddened to hear about him passing so young - only 59.
“All our hearts go out to his family and friends at this sad time.” He added: “I’ve met him a couple of times since we stopped playing together. Both of the occasions were in Ireland, one in Dublin and one down in the Ploughing Championships. He was a lovely fella to be around, a real football man.
“His English wasn’t great so at times it was a little bit difficult when conversing with each other but I think the last time we had an interpreter there. He could get the gist of what I was trying to say. He was very passionate about Italian football, he was very passionate about the international team.”
Houghton also revealed Schillaci was interested in how the Boys in Green were doing and said it was “great to be in his company”.
When asked about his infamous goal against Ireland, Houghton said he was in the “right place at the right time” and never held it against him.
He added: “I don’t remember it fondly because we lost, we were playing in the Quarter-Finals in the World Cup, but look you can’t take away from the campaign he had.
“He came into the squad quite late and I don’t think he played many games for Italy. He was a phenomenal goal scorer. He was the “Fox in the Box” in that moment you know when (Roberto) Donadoni hit the shot, Packie made the save and he was the first to react to it.
“He was in the right position at the right time to put the ball into the back of the net to get them through to the semi-finals. I never held it against him, to be honest.”
Houghtonsaid Schillaci will be forever “synonymous” with Italia ‘90 and said the striker was instrumental in helping his side reach the semi-finals before they were knocked out by Argentina. But Schillaci didn't go home empty-handed after picking up the Golden Boot for netting six goals throughout the tournament.
Houghton said Irish fans had a soft spot for the goal-scorer. He said: “I think the fans loved him because he had a human side to him, there was no airs and graces about him.
“He didn’t portray himself as a big superstar. He was a really down-to-earth fella who had to work hard to get himself into positions. Just loved the training and the playing aspects. He was just a football person and sadly we’ve lost another and so young. He had so much to live for.”
The pair went head-to-head again recently when they took part in a pizza-making challenge for Aldi at the National Ploughing Championships in 2022 - where Houghton won.
Houghton said at the time he had no idea he was sick. He explained: “There were no signs of anything. I can’t even remember him drinking, he was someone who was always well and looked after himself.”
Speaking about one of the last times he was with Schillaci, Houghton said: “We went down to the Ploughing Championships and we stayed in the hotel that night. We had a bite to eat, we sat down, we talked football for a couple of hours. The interpreter was there with him.
He added: “He loved the game and he was very passionate about it and that came out in the chats we had about football.” His death triggered an outpouring of tributes in Italy. His former club Juventus had a simple tribute to their former star. Sharing a picture of him in their shirt, a tweet simply read: "Ciao Toto."
Inter Milan also followed suit with their own message. It read: "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 Toto." The Italian National Team shared their own message. "Ciao Toto," it read. "Hero of the Magic Nights."
Schillaci was an icon of Italian football having represented Juventus, Inter Milan and the Italian national team. He scored 37 goals across 120 appearances in Serie A, while he also won the UEFA Cup twice.
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.