Schillaci tips Immobile to be Italy`s surprise hero in Brazil
Former Golden Boot winner Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci has tipped Italy striker Ciro Immobile to emulate his heroics and be the surprise star of the World Cup in Brazil.
|Last Updated: Jun 10, 2014, 07:17 PM IST|Source: Reuters
Rome: Former Golden Boot winner Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci has tipped Italy striker Ciro Immobile to emulate his heroics and be the surprise star of the World Cup in Brazil.
Schillaci came from nowhere to score six goals for Italy in the 1990 World Cup, and the former Juventus and Inter Milan striker can see the similarities between himself and Immobile, who scored a hat-trick in the Azzurri`s 5-3 win over Brazilian club side Fluminense on Sunday.
"There are the right conditions for Immobile to be (coach Cesare) Prandelli’s trump card. He has played and scored a lot this season, he is in excellent shape and has great enthusiasm just as I had in 1990," Schillaci, 49, told the Corriere dello Sport.
"He is fast, sees the goal like few others and he does not have the spotlight on him."
Italy begin their Group D campaign against England in Manaus on Saturday, and there is a growing desire in Italy for the exciting Immobile to feature in the starting line-up even though Prandelli prefers AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli.
Immobile was in prolific form in Serie A last season, scoring 22 goals for Torino, who finished seventh in the league before obtaining a Europa League berth after sixth-placed Parma were denied a Uefa license for financial irregularities.
The 24-year-old`s form led to a big money move to German giants Borussia Dortmund, who will no doubt view the reported £15.6 million transfer fee as a bargain should he shine at the World Cup like Schillaci did.
Prandelli opened the door to Immobile by comparing him with Schillaci, but then went on to insist that playing two up front was not the right fit for a team with as many quality midfielders as Italy have.
"I made a comparison with Schillaci because in 1990, he was considered by everyone as the fifth striker but he went on to become (the) top scorer," Prandelli said on Monday.
"That shows that you need to prepare mentally for every chance you have."
Prandelli prefers Balotelli as his starting centre-forward but is also open to experiment with players and formations during matches, meaning there was still space for Immobile to make an impression.
"Could he start in place of Balotelli? There are only a few players in the team with guaranteed starting places, such as (Andrea) Pirlo and (Gianluigi) Buffon," added Schillaci.
"Immobile needs to keep his feet on the ground and not get too excited, but despite having little international experience he can certainly make an impression."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.