Thousands attend funeral of 1990 World Cup hero Schillaci

PALERMO, Sicily (AP) — Thousands of people turned up for the funeral of Italian World Cup hero Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci on Friday.

Schillaci died on Wednesday at the age of 59 following a battle with colon cancer. The Italy striker was top scorer at the 1990 World Cup that his country hosted and epitomized a player exceeding expectations on soccer's biggest stage.

The funeral took place at the main cathedral in Palermo. Schillaci never played for the Sicilian team but he was born and raised in the city, where he also set up a soccer youth academy after moving back when he retired.

Schillaci's coffin was decorated with an Italy jersey and a Palermo one, as well as with scarves of the various teams he played for — Messina, Juventus and Inter Milan. He ended his career at Japanese team Jubilo Iwata, retiring in 1999.

Schillaci had never scored for Italy before the 1990 World Cup, having previously only played once for the national team. Overall, he made 16 appearances for Italy and scored seven goals — six of them at the World Cup, where the Azzurri finished third.

He also won the Golden Ball award in 1990 as the tournament's top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.

There was space for around a thousand people in the cathedral and thousands more packed the square outside. They chanted Schillaci's name and applauded when the hearse arrived and again when the coffin was brought back out after the funeral service.

Thousands had also passed through the public viewing of Schillaci at Palermo's Renzo Barbera stadium in the days ahead of the funeral.

Schillaci's two brothers were among the pallbearers, along with nephew Francesco Di Mariano, who plays for Palermo and passed through his uncle's soccer academy.

Many former teammates were in attendance, including Giuseppe Bergomi, who played with Schillaci for Inter and Italy and was also Azzurri captain at the 1990 World Cup. Among the other figures from the world of soccer were Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina and Antonio Matarrese, who occupied the post in 1990.

There was a collection at the service, with the funds going towards the renovation of an area that includes two soccer pitches, one of which will be named after Schillaci.

A wreath of flowers from world soccer's governing body FIFA was laid at the entrance to the cathedral. It bore the words "to the hero of Italia 90."