A little over two months ago Totò Schillaci was in Messina for the last time. At the end of June, on the occasion of Italy’s competitions at the European Championships he was invited to participate in talk shows on the stage of the Giardino Corallo, a historic open-air space in Messina, where the Azzurri’s matches were projected on a giant screen. Many fans did not miss the opportunity to see the Giallorossi hero again, who, once he left Messina, would also become a national hero. On those two occasions, Totò on stage, during a debate conducted by the journalist Salvatore De Maria, and in which other former Messina players such as Sullo, Parisi, Coppola, Rossi and Mancuso also participated, showed all his love and recognition towards a city that welcomed him when he was still a minor in 1982.
“I arrived on tiptoe – Totò said that evening – I had curly hair, some will remember it even if almost half a century has passed. Messina was a fortune for me, my springboard. Returning to Messina today is a great emotion for me, they were 7 important years. I won two championships and the top scorers ranking allowed me to go to Juve and the national team. What can I say? I carry Messina in my heart, always. If Messina hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have had this whole career”