Former Republic of Ireland striker Ray Houghton has paid tribute to Italian World Cup icon Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, who passed away on Wednesday aged 59.
Schillaci won the golden boot at 1990 World Cup after scoring six goals, including the winner against the Republic in the quarter-finals.
But despite breaking Irish hearts twenty-four years ago, the man affectionally known as ‘Toto’ became an cult legend in Ireland.
“Wherever we went, people wanted to come and have pictures with him,” Houghton told BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra on spending time with the Italian in Ireland.
“They realised when he scored the goal against us in Italia 90, that was his job.
“All the Irish fans that came across him, everyone loved him, because he was a humble man.
The former rivals reunited in Ireland over the past few years for public appearances, including one at the National Ploughing Championships in Laois two years ago.
“We were down there trying to bake a pizza – and it was who made the best one… I think I just about came on top which you could understand with most of the people there Irish!,” Houghton recalled of the event.
“The night before we had a meal together and had a good chat about football. The next day we spent the whole day together and it was fabulous.
“He was a joy to be with and a genuine person who wanted to talk about football.”
Capped 16 times for his country, scoring seven goals, he represented Italian giants Juventus and Inter Milan after beginning his club career at Messina.
It was at Italia 90 where he captivated not only a nation but a watching global audience with six goals, earning the top scorer award, as the host nation reached the semi-finals at the expense of Houghton’s Republic of Ireland side.
“He came late into the Italy squad, and I think he was sub in their first game, came on and scored and ended up top scorer,” Houghton recalled.
“He knew how fortunate he was to get into the squad but once he got his chance, he took it and that was certainly the case in the game against us.
“[Roberto] Donadoni had the with shot, Packie [Bonner] made the save and there was Toto to do what he does best – the poacher in the box to stroke it in to the back of the net to take his team through to the semi-final.
“It was huge for him and huge for Italy, the host nation.”
Schillaci opened the scoring in their semi-final defeat to Argentina but sealed the Golden Boot with his sixth goal of the tournament in the third-place play-off against England.
He would finish runner-up to Germany‘s World Cup-winning captain Lothar Matthaus for the 1990 Ballon d’Or.
Schillaci scored only one more goal for Italy and did not appear for his nation again at a major tournament, retiring in 1999 after a spell in Japan.
“When you look at international sport and representing your country, you hope to have big moments and the biggest moment you can have is playing at the World Cup,” Houghton told Evening Extra.
“From a person perspective, for a small nation like Republic of Ireland getting to the World Cup quarter finals against the mighty Italians and then four years later beating them in 1994 for a little bit of revenge. It’s an amazing achievement.
“His big moment for his country was 1990 and what he did was absolutely sensational. The goals he scored, the attitude he brought – I think that rubbed off on the other players in the team.
“Whenever you saw him, whenever you spoke to him, he was very much down to earth. He was a people person and he was so easy to get on with.”