Stephen Taconiformer teammate of Totò Schillaci at Juventus and in the national team, dedicates his personal memory to the friend who passed away yesterday in the columns of Secolo XIX: “A sweet memory, of true friendship, we shared so much together. Yes, a brother. Even though when he arrived at Juve, now I can say, he had practically become my godson. He was disoriented, worried, he didn’t understand how to fit in and as captain I had taken him under my wing”.
What was Schillaci like before Italia ’90?
“He was strong. But he had been catapulted from a reality too far from ours, that’s why the beginning hadn’t been very easy. But we all knew that his talent would explode, we knew his value and that what he did at Messina he would do again at Juve. In fact he scored a lot and we won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup”.
Many of your teammates in the national team have underlined his importance for Schillaci even before the World Cup. Are they right?
“There were many strong personalities in the national team, he was an introvert by nature, he needed someone like me to fit in. He loved me and allowed me to do everything, even make fun of him.”
Italy-Austria, the match is not unlocked. Totò enters and the fairytale begins...
“After the goal he came to hug me, I will never forget that moment, I will always carry it in my heart. When I saw that he was going to enter the field I told him: “Go and score, this is your year”. That’s how it went and he ran to hug me”.
And the famous fight with Baggio? Legend or reality?
“It’s all true. Totò was going through a difficult period, he was often nervous. Roby saw him in the locker room reading the newspaper and as a joke he started slapping the papers. “Damn” once, twice, then three times… In the end he punched him. And Boniperti fined everyone, not just the two of them, because it shouldn’t have gone out of the locker room”.