7th of the 7th

On this day in 1957, how many years ago? Edson Arantes do Nascimento played the first match for his country, Brazil. We would be surprised if anybody remembered this name, so let's call him Pele!! At the age of 16, Pele was not concerned about such mundane stuff, since he was more interested in representing his country and making a good show of it. By chance, the match was against Argentina, Brazil greatest rivals, which unfortunately for Pele was a defeat 2-1. Pele, unsurprisingly, scored on his debut, though we wouldn't know that this was going to be "unsurprising" until a few matches later, once he established his presence in his country, and he was beginning to make a name for himself. 33 years later, another well lnown name, Peter Shilton, one of England's best ever goalkeepers, played his final match, his 126th cap, for his country and was made Captain for the day. It was a Third Place match in the 1990 FIFA World Cup against Italy which did not finish well for the Captain and his team, the Italians winning 1-2. England manager Bobby Robson, retired after this match. The match was played in Bari, Italy. Roberto Baggio scored for Italy in the 71st minute, David Platt equalized for England in the 81st minute, and Salvatore Schillaci (played for Inter Milan and Juventus) converted a penalty in the 86th minute, to secure the victory for Italy and the award to him of The Golden Boot. 

Italian football icon, Salvatore Schillaci, who was top scorer at the 1990 World Cup, died recently  at the age of 59. Also known as Toto, he scored six goals during the tournament on his country's soil.The striker, despite his brilliant form, could not guide the Azzurri to victory, who were knocked out in the semi-finals by Argentina. However, he became a national icon regardless, earning not only the World Cup Golden Boot award as top scorer but also the Golden Ball Award for best overall player, beating the likes of Argentina's Diego Maradona and Germany's Lothar Matthaus. Schillaci (below) died in a hospital in Palermo after being admitted following treatment for colon cancer. He was in hospital for 11 days before he died. “A football icon is leaving us, a man who has entered the hearts of Italians and sports fans around the world,” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posted on X on Wednesday. "Salvatore Schillaci, known by everyone as Toto, the striker from the magic nights of Italia ’90 with our national team."