Luca Toni facts for kids

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Luca Toni

Toni in 2021

Personal information

Date of birth

26 May 1977 (age 48)

Place of birth

Pavullo nel Frignano, Italy

Height

1.93 m

Playing position

Striker

Youth career

1990–1991

Officine Meccaniche Frignanesi

1991–1994

Modena

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1994–1996

Modena

(7)

1996–1997

Empoli

(1)

1997–1998

Fiorenzuola

(2)

1998–1999

Lodigiani

(15)

1999–2000

Treviso

(15)

2000–2001

Vicenza

(9)

2001–2003

Brescia

(15)

2003–2005

Palermo

(50)

2005–2007

Fiorentina

(47)

2007–2010

Bayern Munich

(38)

2009

Bayern Munich II

(0)

2010

→ Roma (loan)

(5)

2010–2011

Genoa

(3)

2011–2012

Juventus

(2)

2012

Al Nasr

(3)

2012–2013

Fiorentina

(8)

2013–2016

Verona

(48)

Total

586

(268)

National team

2004–2009

Italy

(16)

Honours

Men's football

Representing Italy
FIFA World Cup
Winner	2006 Germany

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Luca Toni (born 26 May 1977) is a famous Italian former footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly responsible for scoring goals. Luca Toni scored over 300 goals in his career. He is one of the top Italian goal scorers of all time.

Luca Toni played for many different Italian teams during his career. He also played for the German team Bayern Munich. He was known for being a great goal scorer and a strong leader on the field. He also played for the Italian national team 47 times, scoring 16 goals. He helped Italy win the 2006 FIFA World Cup!

Club Career Highlights
International Career
Style of Play
- Goal Celebrations
Personal Life
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Luca Toni began his professional football journey at Modena. He spent several seasons playing in Italy's lower football leagues. He played for teams like Empoli, Fiorenzuola, and Lodigiani. After playing for Treviso, he joined Vicenza. This was his first time playing in Italy's top league, Serie A. He then moved to Brescia for two seasons.

Success with Palermo

In 2003, Luca Toni joined Palermo. He was a key player in helping Palermo win the Serie B title. This meant the team returned to Serie A after more than 30 years! He scored an amazing 30 goals that season, making him the league's top scorer.

The next season, he continued to score many goals in Serie A. He scored 20 goals, helping Palermo qualify for a European competition for the first time.

Joining Fiorentina

Toni playing for Fiorentina

Luca Toni moved to Fiorentina in 2005. In his first season there, he scored 31 goals. This was a huge achievement, as it was the first time in 50 years that a Serie A player scored 30 or more goals in a season. He won the Capocannoniere award for being the top scorer in Serie A. He also won the European Golden Shoe, becoming the first Italian player to do so! This award goes to the top goal scorer in European leagues.

His amazing goal-scoring helped Fiorentina reach new heights. They finished fourth in the league and qualified for the Champions League. However, due to a scandal, Fiorentina lost points and their Champions League spot. Toni stayed with the team for another season, scoring 16 goals despite injuries.

Time at Bayern Munich

Toni with Bayern Munich

On 30 May 2007, Luca Toni signed a four-year contract with German club Bayern Munich. He was given the number 9 shirt. He quickly became a star player for Bayern.

In December 2007, he scored four goals in a UEFA Cup match. In February 2008, he scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Bayern. He scored two important goals in the German Cup final, helping Bayern win the cup. Toni finished as the top scorer in the 2007–08 Bundesliga season with 24 goals. He also shared the top scorer title in the UEFA Cup with 10 goals. Overall, he scored 39 goals in 46 matches that season!

Toni and Miroslav Klose against Hertha Berlin in 2009

In the 2008–09 season, Toni continued to play well for Bayern. He scored 14 goals in 25 league games. He also scored goals in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League. Later, he had some disagreements with the club's manager and left on loan.

Loan to Roma

On 31 December 2009, Luca Toni joined Roma on a six-month loan. He scored his first two goals for Roma against Genoa. He scored five goals in total for Roma, including a winning goal against Internazionale.

Later Career in Italy

After his loan at Roma, Toni joined Genoa in 2010. He then moved to Juventus in January 2011. He scored his 100th goal in Serie A while playing for Juventus. He also scored the first goal at the new Juventus Stadium.

Toni playing for Juventus in 2011

In 2012, Toni played for Al Nasr in the United Arab Emirates. But he soon returned to Italy, rejoining Fiorentina in August 2012. He scored a goal in his first game back for Fiorentina!

Final Years with Verona

On 5 July 2013, Luca Toni signed with Verona, a newly promoted Serie A club. He quickly started scoring goals for Verona. In his first Serie A game for the club, he scored twice against Milan.

He ended the 2013–14 Serie A season with 20 goals. This made him the second-top goal scorer in Serie A at 37 years old! In the 2014–15 Serie A season, he scored his 300th career goal. He finished that season with 22 goals, making him the joint top scorer in Serie A. At 38, he became the oldest player to win the Capocannoniere award!

Luca Toni retired from football on 4 May 2016, after three seasons with Verona. He scored his very last career goal from a penalty kick in his final match against Juventus. He received a standing ovation from the fans as he left the field. He scored 48 league goals for Verona. In total, he scored 157 Serie A goals in 344 games and 324 goals in all competitions.

International Career

Luca Toni played 47 times for the Italian national team and scored 16 goals. He made his debut in August 2004. He scored his first international goal in September 2004 in a World Cup Qualifying match.

On 7 September 2005, Toni scored his first international hat-trick against Belarus.

Toni during the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final

Toni was part of Italy's team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored two goals in the quarter-finals against Ukraine. Italy won the World Cup by beating France in the final! Toni was Italy's top goal-scorer in the tournament, along with Marco Materazzi, with two goals. He was also named to the 2006 World Cup Team of the Tournament.

He also played for Italy in UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. After the 2009 Confederations Cup, he was no longer called up to the national team.

After his retirement, the Italian Football Federation honored Luca Toni. They gave him a special shirt and a city award in Verona.

Style of Play

Luca Toni was known as a classic centre-forward. This means he played mostly in the middle of the attack, close to the opponent's goal. He was excellent at scoring goals, especially with his head. He was very strong and good at holding the ball up for his teammates. He could also pass the ball well to help others score.

Even though he wasn't known for fancy dribbling, his strength and ability to score made him one of the best headers of the ball in the Italian League. He was a very smart player who knew how to be in the right place at the right time to score.

Goal Celebrations

Luca Toni had a famous way of celebrating his goals. He would look at his teammates and spin his right hand next to his ear. It was like he was asking, "Did you see what I just did?"

Personal Life

Luca Toni is married to Italian model Marta Cecchetto. They faced a sad time with the loss of their son in 2012. Their daughter Bianca was born in June 2013, and their second son, Leonardo, was born in July 2014.