I'm the fifth-choice striker who shocked Italia 90 to win the Golden Boot and become breakout World Cup star

One of the intriguing things about World Cups is the players who go on to make a name for themselves at the tournament out of nowhere. 

Over the years, several now well-known stars have catapulted themselves into the spotlight thanks to their performances on football's grandest stage. 

Perhaps the poster boy for that narrative is Italian striker Salvatore 'Toto' Schillaci at the 1990 World Cup. 

A seasoned striker in Serie A, Schillaci got his big move from Messina to Juventus in 1989, and his 15 goals were good enough to see him make the cut for Italy's squad for the World Cup on home soil in 1990. 

Yet, he went into Italia '90 as Azeglio Vicini's fifth-choice forward, with the ridiculously talented quartet of Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Roberto Baggio and Andrea Carnevale all seen as ahead of him. 

However, after being summoned from the bench against Austria, the little forward netted the winner and then went on a perfect purple patch for the ages, in front of a watching world. 

The hitman netted six times at the tournament, taking home the Golden Boot, and becoming a standard-bearer for unlikely names who use a World Cup to have their breakthrough moment. 

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All of Schillaci's goals from Italia '90 

The tournament's Golden Boot winner 

 

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