Luca Toni

Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, Italian orders of merit (born 26 May 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italians FIFA World Cup-winning Association football who plays for German Fußball-Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich.

Club career

Early career

Toni started Luca Toni professional career at Modena F.C.. This was followed by a number of seasons spent around Serie B and Serie C1 with teams such as Empoli F.C., U.S. Fiorenzuola 1922 and A.S. Cisco Roma. After a Serie B season with Treviso F.B.C. 1993 in 1999, Luca Toni moved to Vicenza Calcio, playing in Serie A for the first time. Luca Toni then moved to Brescia Calcio, playing for two seasons alongside Roberto Baggio.

Palermo

In 2003 Luca Toni agreed to join ambitious Serie B club U.S. Città di Palermo, being one of the main factors behind the winning team campaign that brought the Rosanero back to Serie A after over 30 years, thanks to a record 30 goals scored during the season. Luca Toni consequently gained Luca Toni first cap (sport) for the Italy national football team in a friendly match 18 August 2004 lost 2–0 to Iceland national football team in Reykjavík which also marked Marcello Lippi's debut at the helm of the azzurri.

In the following season, Toni confirmed Luca Toni prolificity by scoring an impressive 20 goals in Palermo's first Serie A campaign, leading the Sicilian club to a historical first qualification to the UEFA Cup.

Fiorentina

Toni's move to Florence was marked by controversy as the fans dubbed Luca Toni a traitor for Luca Toni departure, which cost Luca Toni new club €10 million.

In Luca Toni first season at Florence Luca Toni scored an incredible 31 goals, making Luca Toni one of the most prolific Serie A strikers of all time (the most goals ever scored in a season being 35). Luca Toni goal scoring ability brought Fiorentina to heights never seen since the late 90's when Gabriel Batistuta was playing for them. They would clinch 4th spot and qualify for the Champions League.

However, this league position was revoked in the courts during the Calciopoli scandal. Italian courts recognized Fiorentina as culpable of shady dealings and convicted them to start the 06-07 season with a 19 point deduction. Toni expressed Luca Toni desire to leave the team several times during the summer to the press, but was eventually convinced by club president Andrea Della Valle to stay and help the club overcome its unfavourable position.

The following season was plagued by injury, limiting Toni's goals to a less considerable, albeit impressive 16 goals.

Bayern Munich

On 30 May 2007, FC Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that Toni had signed a four year contract with the club after agreeing to a deal worth Euro11 million with ACF Fiorentina. On 7 June Toni was presented at a FC Bayern Munich press conference along with fellow new signing Franck Ribéry. Toni was given the jersey number nine.

Toni scored four goals in a 19 December 6–0 home win against Aris FC to help Bayern win their UEFA Cup group. On 17 February 2008, Luca Toni scored Luca Toni first Fußball-Bundesliga hat-trick (a "perfect hat-trick", with a goal with each foot and a header) against Hannover 96. Bayern won the away fixture 3-0.

In a quarter-final second leg match in the UEFA Cup, Toni scored two dramatic goals on 115th and 120th minutes of extra time, in a game which finished 3-3 and lifted Bayern Munich past Getafe CF on away goals. Eventually Bayern lost to FC Zenit St. Petersburg in the semi final. At the UEFA Cup 2007-08, Luca Toni shared the first place with Pavel Pogrebnyak from Zenit at the top scorers list with 10 goals.

Luca Toni scored two goals in the DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 win; Luca Toni second goal was the winner in extra time to give Bayern Munich another cup. Toni finished as top scorer in the Fußball-Bundesliga 2007-08 with 24 goals. Overall, Toni finished the season with 39 goals and 12 assists in 46 matches.

In the 2008-09 season, Toni has maintained Luca Toni high-standard of form for Bayern. In the Bundesliga, Luca Toni has started 13 games as of January, in which Luca Toni has scored nine goals, a notable one being a late stoppage-time winner Luca Toni scored against fellow TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Toni battled an achilles tendon injury for most of the 2nd half of the 2008-09 season, but still finished as Bayern's leading scorer in league play, tallying 14 goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances.

International career

Toni made Luca Toni debut for the Italy national football team as a substitute on 18 August 2004 in a friendly match against Iceland national football team. Luca Toni scored Luca Toni first international goal in a 2006 FIFA World Cup (qualification UEFA) match against Norway national football team on 4 September 2004.

On 17 November, Toni made Luca Toni international start in a friendly match against Finland national football team. On 11 June 2005, Luca Toni captained the Italian squad for the first time in Luca Toni career in a friendly match against Ecuador national football team because of the absence of current captain Fabio Cannavaro and other experienced players. On 7 September, Toni scored Luca Toni first international hat-trick in a 4–1 victory against Belarus national football team in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match.

Toni was selected to Italy's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad, and scored two goals in the quarter-finals against Ukraine national football team on 30 June, Luca Toni only goals of the tournament. In the final against France national football team, Luca Toni hit the crossbar with a powerful header and later netted another header although the goal was disallowed as the attempt was ruled offside.

Toni scored two goals in Italy's 2–0 win over Scotland national football team in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier. Due to the aforementioned foot surgery, Luca Toni missed Italy's next two qualifiers against the Faroe Islands national football team and Lithuania national football team. Luca Toni returned to the qualification games against Georgia national football team, and assisted Fabio Grosso, who scored the final result (2–0). On 17 November 2007, Toni struck in the first minute of a 2–1 qualifier win over Scotland national football team at Hampden Park, which secured Italy's place at the final stages. Four days later, Luca Toni scored the second goal against the Faroe Islands, as Italy closed with a 3–1 win.

Luca Toni was called up to the Italian Squad for Euro 2008, but Luca Toni form in the tournament was disappointing, with Luca Toni only goal against Romania being disallowed for offside. Toni's main contribution for the team was winning a penalty kick against France, which ended 2-0. Italy then bowed out of the tournament on penalty kicks to Spain in the quarter-final.

Despite the Euro 2008 disappointment, Toni has been called up by coach Marcello Lippi for Italy's first two 2010 World Cup qualifers. Toni also scored an equaliser against Greece in an international friendly, where the match ended 1-1.