Footballs underappreciated European Golden Boot winner - Luca Toni
The Tale of the Italian cult hero Luca Toni
In this article we will go through the career of cult hero and football legend Luca Toni. Toni played for 16 clubs across his career, as well as representing the Italian national team. Scoring 322 goals, winning the World Cup in 2006, and is the fourth highest scoring Italian of all time.
Humble Beginnings
Luca Toni aka “Numero Uno”, playing career began In Modena, Northern Italy. At the age of 17 starting his professional career with Modena F.C. after being with them at youth level. At this period of time in 1994 Modena F.C. were off the back of a relegation to the C1 division, the third tear in Italian Football. During this season Toni remained outside the squad until Match day 25 away to Alessandria where he played 67 minutes in a one all draw. Over the coming weeks he would get some extra minutes in the first team eventually, picking up his first 2 goals against Fiorenzuola. Ending his debut campaign with 2 goals in 7 games and Modena finishing in a lowly third bottom, admitted into the relegation playoffs to the Serie C2. Where he scored one goal as Modena stayed in the division. Toni would spend an additional season with his first club playing 25 games scoring 5 goals.
Finding his Footing
The following campaign, Luca got a move to then Serie B side Empoli. The move seemed to be off to a good started when he scored on his first appearance off the bench against Ravenna. However, following this goal, Toni wouldn’t score again that season. Only getting a total of 31 minutes of football across three appearance from the bench. Toni not getting a chance, took the opportunity to move club the following season.
Joining Fiorenzuola the club which he scored his first professional goals against, dropping back to the Serie C. During the 1997/1998 Toni got some much needed game time, featuring in total of 26 matches but only scoring 2 goals. Ultimately, leading to another move in 1998, to AS Lodigiani in the division below the Sereie C1- Group B. Toni got his first taste of goal scoring here at the lower league, Rome based side. Picking up an impressive 15 goals in 31 starts. Off the back of this impressive season Toni used his improving goal scoring to once again on the move. This time up the divisions. Joining Treviso in the Serie B for the 1999/2000 season where he would repeat a similar tally of goals getting 16 in all competition. Succeeding these two respectable seasons of regular goal scoring, some bigger clubs were taking notice. As Toni started making a buzz around the lower divisions. Which would lead to him moving club again! 5 clubs in 5 seasons, but this time it was to Serie A side Vicenza.
The Top Flight
This was Toni’s first taste of the top flight with the Vicenza based club now aged 22. L.R. Vicenza are one of the smaller sides in the top flight and would end the 2000 season getting related, but Toni put some miles in playing 33 games in all competitions and got a admirable 9 goals in his first campaign in Italy's first division. Helping put his name out there, and he returned the Serie A straight away following relegation, joining Brescia.
This would be the first club where he would get more than a season getting regular first team minutes. playing alongside Football legends Robberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola and a young Andrea Pirlo. A total of 16 would come over these two campaigns. Brescia, even finishing 9th in 2003 qualifying for the intertoto Cup.
Goals Goals Goals
Following two impressive seasons in the Serie A, Toni was once again on the move. Not to another Serie A side like you would expect after a strong season. Instead dropping down to the Serie B to play for Palmero. This is where Toni finally found his stride scoring a monuments 30 goals that season to crowned top goal scorer, as Palermo became Serie B champions and were promoted back to the top division for the first time in over 30 years. Resulting, in a first call up to the National side. The following season the goals continued to come, scoring 20 in the top flight and securing Palmero a 6th place finish in their first season back, gaining a first qualification to the UEFA Cup.
You would expect Toni to be relishing the lime light at Palmero with the success over the past two seasons, including a European qualification to look forward to. However, Toni was lured away to join Fiorentina ahead of the 2005/06 season for a estimated €10 million. Which you could expect didn’t go down too well with the Palmero supports. The change in setting didn’t stop Toni scoring though, he topped the previous seasons goals tally scoring 31 goals in the league making him the top goal scorer in Italy. Being the first player to score over 30 league goals in five decades and to top it off he was awarded the European Golden Boot award for being the top goal scorer in Europe in 2006. The following season Toni would score 16 goals in Florence.
On top of the world
Over this period of time from 2005 to 2008, there seemed to be no stopping Luca, as his career was reaching new heights. Following the prolific season at Palemero, he joined the Azzurri ahead of the 2006 world cup. Where he scored 2 goals against Ukraine in the quarter finals as Italy went on to be crowned World champions beating France on penalties in the final.
Following the World Cup win, Toni got his biggest move to date. Making the switch from Italy to Germany, signing for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2007 for around €12 million. His goal continued in Bavaria netting 24 goals in the league, helping Bayern win the Bundesliga Title whilst achieving top goal scorer. Similarly, in the DFB Pokal Toni scored two goals to edge the victory against bitter rivals Dortmund, to win the cup and lifting two trophies in his first year in Germany. The following season followed on from where it left off, staring the year in good form once again scoring in both the league and the champions league, even a brace against Sporting Lisbon. The second half of the season would be disrupted by an Achilles injury causing a run of games to be missed. Toni returned in April scoring in three successive games. Ending the season with tally of 14 goals.
Into the third and final season with Bayern, Toni would on go on to score one more league goal for his club due to the Achilles injury returning, paired with a falling out with than manager Louis Van Gaal. Leading to a loan move back to Italy with Roma. The loan was short and sweet, only a 6 month deal was agreed and Toni would score 5 goals in 16 games during the 2009/10 season.
What now?
On the return to Bayern Munich Toni’s contract was terminated. The now veteran 33 year old striker would move back to Italy on a full time deal with Genoa, his 12th club. Similarly, to the start of his career this move would only last one season, playing 18 games across all competitions scoring 7 goals. Italian giants Juventus would take Toni on a free transfer in the following season. While at Juve Toni was mainly a squad player, making a majority of appearances from the bench. Despite the shortage of minutes Toni scored his 100th Serie A goals, totaling 2 goals for the season and even picked up his first Serie A titles winners medal. After only one appearance in the first half of the 2011 season Toni would be on the move again. Switching the Old Lady for the UAE, to join Al-Naasr. This move wasn’t all it hoped out to be, supposedly not enjoying his football in Dubai he would only remain there for 6 months, scoring 3 goals in 11 games.
At this point in his career it may seem like it was beginning to come to end, and his best years were behind him. However, at the closing stages of the 2012 transfer window, former side Fiorentina came in for the move 35 year old. The side where Toni previously had scored for fun, he opened his account scoring on his debut against Carania. Coming off the bench in the 63rd minute. The homecoming would amount to 8 goals over the season.
Renaissance
What was supposed to be a sweet story returning to a former side, didn’t last too long. Leaving at the end of the season to join newly promoted side Hellas Verona. Many would think that Toni was past it now and it should be time to hang up his boots, since the recent goals tally couldn’t compared to the previous heights over the past few years.
But this is where everything changed and the Renaissance of Luca Toni began. The stars must have aligned as Toni was playing like a man possessed. Tormenting the defenses of fellow Serie A teams. Scoring 20 goals and assisting 11, leading to calls for him to rejoin to national team for the World Cup. Unfortunately, that dream didn’t come true, but he ended the season with as the second top goalscorer in the league.
That season wan’t a fluke, Toni powered on to the next year at the ripe age of 38, continuing to bulldoze defenses as an ever effective target man. During the 2014/15 season he scored his 300th career goal and became Hellas Verona’s all time top goal score in the Italian first division. The campaign ended successfully, Verona finished in a respectable 13th place and Toni picked up Serie A top goal scorer at the age of 38 with 22 goals, joint with Mauro Icardi. Amazingly, winning this award 9 years after winning it with Fiorentina and becoming the oldest player to do so. Proving again that age is only a number.
In Toni’s final year as a professional footballer and third season with Verona the 2015/16 season, would see less appearances due to injury. However, in his final game of his career before hanging up the boots and retiring. Against former club and current Italian champions Juventus. Verona would be victorious with a 2–1 victory. Toni scored a cheeky Panenka penalty to round off an excellent career. A career which took him through the lower ranks off Italian football before rising all the way to the top of Italy, Germany and the World, scoring plenty of goals along the way. Grazie Luca.
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