Former Italy and Juventus striker Salvatore Schillaci witnessed the arrest of Italy’s most-wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro in Palermo this morning: ‘It was like a Wild West movie.’
Messina Denaro, 60, was arrested this morning at the private Clinic Maddelena in Palermo. He was Italy’s most wanted mafia boss and had been on the run for over 30 years.
Reports in Italy claim Messina Denaro was at the clinic because he has colorectal cancer and had received treatment in the same clinic for over a year, using false documents. He was known to doctors as Andrea Bonafede.
Schillaci, a former striker for Italy and Juventus, among others, was also at the clinic this morning and witnessed the arrest.
“I was at the hospital at 8.15 when I saw hooded policemen arrive. They blocked us all,” he told ANSA.
“I was close to the bar, I didn’t even enter because I was smoking a cigarette outside. I didn’t see much, but the Police stopped us, telling us to remain where we were. It looked like a madhouse, a scene from a Wild West movie.”
Schillaci was born in Palermo in 1964 and still lives in the capital of Sicily.
He played for Messina, Inter, Juventus and Japanese side Jubilo Iwata scoring 37 goals in 120 Serie A matches. He netted seven goals in 16 games with Italy’s national team and was the Azzurri’s hero at Italia 90 with six goals in seven matches. Schillaci retired in 1996.
So let me get this straight a famous italian footballer was at a hospital SMOKING a cigar by the bar while a mob boss was being arrested. Gotta love Italia lol.
It wasn’t that crazy. It was only a cigraette, not a cigar.
lol @Stefan
But on a serious note hopefully there will be some peace and closure for those families slaughtered by this animal.
‘Peace and closure’ for the victim’s families – absolutely. But also questions answered; how did he remain on the run for 30 years, most of the time, it seems, in Trapani? Who was covering for him?
As for Schillaci. Smoking at his age? Tut, tut.