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Italy’s 1990 top scorer Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2022, has been admitted to hospital and is in a “stable condition”, his family said in a statement.
Legendary Italian striker Salvatore Schillaci, better known as Totò, is in stable condition in a Palermo hospital.
His family released a brief statement on Sunday evening via their official Instagram profile, saying the 59-year-old is in stable condition.
“In view of the countless calls from the media and the unpleasant rumors circulating, we affirm that our beloved Totò is in a stable condition and is being monitored day and night by a team of expert doctors. Come, Totò,” the family said.
Italy concerned over 1990 World Cup top scorer Schillaci’s hospitalization
Schillaci was diagnosed with colon cancer in January 2022 and underwent two surgeries.
Schillaci revealed that he had cancer on January 16, 2023. That day, he was at the La Maddalena Clinic in Palermo, a clinic specializing in oncology treatment, where police arrested mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, on the run for more than 30 years.
Schillaci also spoke about his illness in 2023 during an Italian television show, Pechino Express, in which he participated alongside his wife, Barbara.
“I fought cancer last year. This is revenge,” said the former Italian international.
A former striker for Messina, Juventus, Inter and Júbilo Iwata in Japan, Schillaci scored seven goals in 16 appearances for the Italian national team. Six of those goals came at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Schillaci was the competition’s top scorer and player of the tournament.
