Emotional tributes paid as Italia '90 hero Toto Schillaci dies aged 59

Italian football legend Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci, who became an Italian national hero at the 1990 World Cup has passed away, aged 59.

Schillaci was a virtual unknown outside of Italy before the iconic tournament took place, but scored six goals to win the Golden Boot and was also awarded the best player Golden Ball award as Italy reached the semi-finals before crashing out to Diego Maradona's Argentina.

Schillaci would open the scoring in Naples but after Claudio Canniggia drew the sides level in the second half, it was the South Americans who prevailed on penalties. Despite the heartbreak of defeat, the Juventus striker became a globsl football hero overnight. His popularity was so great that he finished second only to Germany's World Cup-wining captain Lothar Matthaus in the 1990 Ballon d'Or.

The Palermo-born star, who captured hearts with his all-action displays and emotional goal celebrations, was only capped 16 times for Italy, scoring seven goals. He had started Gli Azzurri's first group stage match as a substitute but came off the bench to score the winner against Austria.

After coming off the bench again in their second match against the USA, he was started up front with Roberto Baggio for the final group game against Czechoslovakia, scoring once more.

Schillaci's partnership with Baggio quickly blossomed but it was the former who captured the attention of world football with further goals in the knockout stages against Uruguay in the Round of 16 and the Republic of Ireland in the quarter-finals. After exiting the tournament at the semi-finals stage, he faced Bobby Robson's England in the third-place play-off, scoring an 86th-minute penalty to win the match 2-1.

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In a statement, Juventus said: "We immediately fell in love with Toto. His desire, his story, his being so wonderfully passionate, and it showed in every game he played.

"We at Juve were lucky enough to get excited about him before - in that incredible summer of 1990 - the whole of Italy did, captivated by those wonderfully energetic celebrations of his."

In a separate statement, Serie A described Schillaci as: "A champion who lit up the magical nights of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

"His desire to emerge and reach the highest levels of football has been and will continue to be a source of inspiration for the many young people who chase the dream of playing in Serie A."

Having started his career with 61 goals in 219 appearances for Messina, he shot to fame with Juventus, before going on to play for Inter Milan, where he only made 30 appearances, scoring 11 goals. He ended his career with Japanese side Jubilo Iwata.