Regarded as one of Italy's greatest strikers, he was a quick, prolific, powerful, and technically gifted forward;[2][3][4] in 2012, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

[4] Schiavo, who died on 17 September 1990 at the age of 84 in the Malpighi hospital of Bologna,[4] was also the last surviving player from Italy's 1934 World Cup winning team.

He began his career with the first team during the 1922–23 Prima Divisione, playing 6 league games (11 in total) and scoring 6 goals; he made his debut for the club in 1923, at the age of 17.

In the 1931–32 season he scored 25 goals which led to him winning the Capocannonieri award for top scorer in Serie A. Bologna won two more Scudetti in 1936 and 1937, although Schiavio only played in two games in the latter victory.

[5] Schiavio made his debut for the Italy national football team in November 1925, when he was 20 years old; he marked the occasion by scoring both goals in a 2–1 win over Yugoslavia in Padova.

He was also known for his pace, reactions, and offensive movement, which enabled him to lose his markers and make runs to beat the defensive line and get on the end of passes.

Moreover, he was a generous and versatile team-player, and was known for his willingness to play in several other offensive positions, including as a left winger, or even as an inside forward on occasion, which was known as the mezzala role at the time in Italian football jargon.