KOCHI: As the football world mourns the demise of Salvatore Schillaci , Shabab Cholayil , a security guard at Kerala Kalamandalam in Cheruthuruthi , Thrissur, was shocked when TOI informed him about the death of the 1990 World Cup top-scorer, whom he had met in a chance encounter two years back. Schillaci (59) died at a hospital in Palermo, Italy, where he was getting treated for colon cancer on Wednesday morning. Schillaci came to India in 2022 as part of a touring group of seven celebrities for an Italian TV show.
During their India tour, they visited Kalamandalam to learn about 'Navarasas'. The producers of the TV show had asked the participants to learn about the 'nine emotions' and they had to perform it before the judges. An ardent football fan, Shabab, was the only one present there to identify Schillaci, who was popularly known as 'Toto' in his playing days.
"The group of tourists arrived early in the morning and was here for only about four hours. I had a lingering doubt in my mind that one among the group was Schillaci. When the group was about to leave, I mustered courage and went up to him and asked 'Toto?' Surprised, he smiled and nodded in the affirmative.
I felt that he was happy that someone recognised him here. The 2022 Fifa World Cup was also happening at that time. Since I was watching a lot of football, it helped me in recognising him," recalled Shabab, who has been working as a security guard in Kalamandalam since 2021.
"The show they were appearing on had a rule that the participants should not hire any vehicles for travelling. They were only allowed to use public vehicles or go hitchhiking. So I helped the group find a bus to Thrissur," added Shabab, who said that taking a selfie with Toto was the most prized moment of his life.
But Shabab, now 44, says that he never saw Schillaci play in the 1990 World Cup, which gave him name and fame. "I didn't see the 1990 World Cup. I was only 10 then and we didn't have the luxury of a television at home.
I started watching football by travelling to Shoranur after that World Cup. Unlike today, we didn't know many footballers then, but Schillaci in Italia 90 made him a star and every football enthusiast in Kerala knew him. It also helped me in recognising Toto when I met him years later," revealed Shabab.
Shabab didn't know that the man who had presented him with the moment of his lifetime was ailing for some time, and his death now has left him with only memories for a lifetime..
