Khrietuonyü Noudi
On the morning of 19th September 2024, I was deeply saddened, in fact almost moved to tears, by a news-report in the local daily. The news-report was about the demise of an Italian footballer named Salvatore Toto Schillachi. No, you won’t find the name of this footballer in the list of greatest footballers or even in the list of the greatest footballers that Europe or Italy has produced over the years.
But for all those who witnessed the 1990 FIFA world cup played in Italy, Schillachi is unforgettable. For me also the story of Salvatore Schillachi has been a great source of inspiration all these years and whenever I recall the unbelievable exploits of this hitherto unknown footballer in the 1990 Sporting extravaganza, it reminds me that there must be a celestial being out there who is watching us all the time and that He has the ability to bring out anyone from total obscurity to the limelight and make him shine in such a way that all onlookers are left dumbfounded - scratching their heads wondering “how in the world did that happen?”
In the 1990 FIFA world cup, Italy were not just the host nation and also one of the favourites to lift the trophy. They were one of the favourites not only because they had the home advantage but because they were an extremely talented and experienced team. In fact, at the start of the tournament, the media described the Italian team as a star-studded team because it was full of very talented and high-profile players.
However, ironically, Schillaci was not considered one of the stars in the so-called star-studded Italian team. In fact, he was probably added to the team just to make up the numbers as in the initial matches, Schillachi did not even feature in the starting eleven. He was initially designed only to sit in the benches and be used as an option or experiment under dire circumstances. But destiny had something very different.
Italy played against Austria in the first match which was a tough one for the host team and remained goalless well into the last quarter of the second half. So the Italian manager decided to take off one of the star strikers and send in Schillachi. It was a masterstroke as Schillachi, to the surprise of everyone, headed in the winning goal.
Italy’s second match turned out to be a repetition of the first as it started and ended in the same manner. In this match also, Italy started without Schillachi who was still considered only worthy for the substitutes’ bench. But this match also dragged on without any breakthrough. So the Italian manager again decided to apply the same tactic by bringing in Schillachi in place of one of their prominent strikers who was not delivering on the field. Much to the surprise of all watching in the stadium and around the world, Schillachi again rose to the occasion and headed in another goal ensuring a solid victory for the host team.
By the time Italy’s third match rolled around, Schillachi had earned his place in the starting eleven. In the pre-quarter finals, Italy was up against the formidable Uruguay. As fate would have it, against all odds, Schilachi again scored an unforgettable goal, this time with his left foot. This goal is considered one of the outstanding goals of “Italia 90”. The dream run of this hitherto unknown footballer from Palermo seemed to be showing no sign of stopping.
As the tournament progressed, along with it the intensity and excitement heated up. In the quarter final Italy was up against Ireland who were playing their first FIFA world cup and were having a dream run under the leadership of their iconic coach Jack Charlton. Once again, Schillachi lit up the Italian skies with an opportune goal. Now, it seemed like it had become customary for Schillaci to score in every match that Italy would play. This goal against Ireland was a difficult one from a difficult angle. The original shot actually came from one of the Italian star-strikers. But as the ball was deflected by the Irish goalkeeper, Schillachi moved in at the right time and netted in the memorable goal.
The Italians were now in the semifinal and were set against the defending world champions captained by none other than the legendary Maradona. Argentina were the defending world champions and Italy were the host nation. So undoubtedly, the interest and media hype that preceded this semifinal match was electrifying. In the early part of the match itself, Schillachi again put his team ahead when he was able to kick in the ball which was once again deflected by the Argentinean goalkeeper and it set the whole stadium ablaze with excitement and unbelief as Schillachi once again found himself in the right place at the right time and sent the whole nation into frenzy. The Argentineans equalized in the last quarter of the second half and ultimately went on to beat the hosts on penalties.
By the time Italy lost in the semi final, Schillachi already had 5 goals in his pocket. In the third-place playoff match against England, Schillachi again scored making him the undisputed top goal-scorer of the tournament.
Now, here is the amazing thing about the story of Schillachi. It is said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place. But for Schillachi in the 1990 world cup lightning did strike in the same place, not twice or thrice but six times when he found himself in the right place at the right time when the ball literally came right to him to score those unforgettable goals that lit up the whole Italian skies during the magical nights of Italia 1990. Initially when he came into the pitch as a substitute and scored those two goals in the first and second match, everybody must have thought it was just a coincidence. But as Italy progressed along and Schillachi struck goal after goal, it became clear that he was the chosen one at least for Italia 90.
Schillachi was around 25 years old in 1990 which would be considered as prime age for any footballer. That means in 1986, he was around 21 and should have been old enough to play in Mexico. But Schillachi did not play in Mexico in 1986 obviously because he was not good enough. And despite his towering performance in Italia 90, Schillachi was not called again to be a part of the Italy team in 1994. These facts speak volumes about the worth and career of Schillachi. It is also interesting to note that in his international career Schillachi scored only 7 goals for Italy and 6 of those came in the 1990 world cup.
In the 1990 sporting extravaganza, Schillachi ended up as the most outstanding player sidelining a galaxy of stars and legends. He won both the golden ball and the golden boot meaning he was adjudged as not only the top scorer but also as the best player. Can this be interpreted as an illustration of the adage “promotion comes neither from the east or the west but real promotion comes only from God”?
In the scripture it is said, “those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled”. The story of Salvatore Schillachi must be one such story. Or else, how could everything work out so precisely well for this average player where he found himself in the right spot at the right time in all the matches he played. It is also said that those who are first would become last and those who are last will be propelled to the front. I always think that something like that happened in 1990 when someone whom everybody considered the last and the least was propelled from the back and put ahead of all those who were thought to be in the first.
It is also said “God will prepare a table for you in front of your enemies”. Sometimes I also feel like the story of Schillachi is one such story where God prepared his table in front of all his opponents. Schillaci is no more today but for all those who saw Italia 1990, they will never forget those magical nights where he lit up the whole Italian skies with his unforgettable goals and made us cry, jump and shout. For me, it reminds me that there must be a God who can promote anybody anytime and bring him to the limelight even from total obscurity.
It is also said “a person may forget what you said to him, a person may forget what you did to him….. but a person never forgets how you made him feel”. So today I write about Salvatore Schillachi because of the way he made me feel in 1990.
