Luca Toni Varchetta Delle Cave, commonly known as Luca Toni, was born on May 26, 1977, in Pavullo nel Frignano, in the province of Modena, Italy. He is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a centre-forward. During his career, he represented Modena, Empoli, Fiorenzuola, Lodigiani, Treviso, Vicenza, Brescia, Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, Roma, Genoa, Juventus, Al-Nasr, and Hellas Verona. He won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy and the European Golden Shoe after scoring 31 Serie A goals for Fiorentina in the 2005–2006 season. With Bayern Munich, he won the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2008. He retired from professional football in 2016.

Early Life and Football Education

Luca Toni was born on May 26, 1977, in Pavullo nel Frignano, a town in the province of Modena in northern Italy. His father, Gianfranco Toni, worked as a house painter, and his mother, Valeria, worked at a school.

He grew up in the Modena area and began playing football with local youth teams, including Serramazzoni. At approximately thirteen, he joined the youth system of Modena FC.

Toni travelled regularly between his hometown and Modena to attend training sessions while continuing his education. He eventually progressed through the club's youth ranks to its senior team.

Beginning of His Professional Career

Luca Toni began his professional career with Modena in the 1994–1995 season, competing in Serie C1, the third tier of Italian football at the time.

He remained with Modena until 1996 before joining Empoli, where he made a limited number of appearances in Serie B.

During the following seasons, he played for Fiorenzuola and Lodigiani in Serie C1. At Lodigiani, he scored 15 league goals during the 1998–1999 season.

In 1999, he moved to Treviso in Serie B. He scored another 15 league goals in the 1999–2000 season, earning a move to Serie A club Vicenza.

Serie A Debut and Brescia

Luca Toni made his Serie A debut for Vicenza against AC Milan on October 1, 2000. He scored nine league goals during the 2000–2001 season.

Following Vicenza's relegation, he joined Brescia in 2001. There, he became a teammate of Roberto Baggio, who was approaching the final years of his professional career.

The Brescia squad also included Pep Guardiola, who later became a football manager.

Toni scored 13 Serie A goals during his first season with Brescia. His second season was less productive, and he left the club in 2003.

Palermo and Promotion to Serie A

In 2003, Luca Toni joined Palermo, which was competing in Serie B.

During the 2003–2004 season, he scored 30 league goals and finished as Serie B's leading goalscorer. Palermo won the Serie B championship and secured promotion to Serie A.

In the 2004–2005 season, Toni scored 20 Serie A goals. Palermo finished sixth in the league and qualified for European competition.

His performances led to a transfer to Fiorentina in 2005.

Fiorentina and the European Golden Shoe

Luca Toni joined Fiorentina for the 2005–2006 season.

He scored 31 goals in 38 Serie A appearances, becoming the league's leading goalscorer. His total was the highest by a Serie A player in a single season since the 1950s.

He received the 2006 European Golden Shoe, awarded to the leading league goalscorer across Europe's domestic championships under the competition's points system. He became the first Italian player to win the award in its modern format.

During the 2006–2007 season, Toni scored another 16 Serie A goals for Fiorentina.

His two seasons in Florence established him among Italy's leading centre-forwards. At the end of the 2006–2007 season, he agreed to join German club Bayern Munich.

2006 FIFA World Cup

Luca Toni made his debut for the Italy national football team on August 18, 2004, in a friendly match against Iceland.

He scored his first international goal against Norway on September 4, 2004, during qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Italian national team manager Marcello Lippi selected Toni for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The squad included Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, and Gennaro Gattuso.

Toni played as Italy's centre-forward during the tournament. On June 30, 2006, he scored twice in Italy's 3–0 victory over Ukraine in the quarterfinals.

Italy defeated Germany 2–0 after extra time in the semifinal and faced France in the final on July 9, 2006, in Berlin.

The final ended 1–1 after extra time. Italy won the penalty shootout 5–3, claiming its fourth FIFA World Cup title.

Toni finished the tournament with two goals and was part of the World Cup-winning squad.

Between 2004 and 2009, he made 47 appearances for Italy and scored 16 international goals. He also represented his country at UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Transfer to Bayern Munich

In May 2007, Luca Toni agreed to join Bayern Munich for a reported transfer fee of approximately €11 million. The transfer became effective for the 2007–2008 season.

He joined a squad that included Franck Ribéry, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Philipp Lahm.

In his first Bundesliga season, Toni made 31 league appearances and scored 24 goals, finishing as the competition's leading goalscorer.

Bayern Munich won both the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal in the 2007–2008 season.

Toni scored twice against Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final, which Bayern won 2–1 after extra time.

He also scored ten goals in the UEFA Cup during the same season, finishing as the competition's joint-leading goalscorer.

In the following season, he scored 14 Bundesliga goals. His playing opportunities became more limited during the 2009–2010 season, particularly after the arrival of coach Louis van Gaal.

Roma, Genoa and Juventus

In January 2010, Luca Toni returned to Italy on loan to AS Roma. He played under manager Claudio Ranieri and scored five Serie A goals during the second half of the season.

Roma finished second in the league behind Inter Milan.

After leaving Bayern Munich, Toni joined Genoa in 2010. He scored three league goals before transferring to Juventus in January 2011.

His time at Juventus was relatively short. He scored two Serie A goals and left the club in 2012.

Al-Nasr and Return to Fiorentina

In January 2012, Luca Toni moved to the United Arab Emirates to play for Al-Nasr in Dubai.

He spent several months with the club before returning to Italy.

In August 2012, he rejoined Fiorentina, making 27 Serie A appearances and scoring eight goals during the 2012–2013 season.

Fiorentina finished fourth in Serie A and qualified for the UEFA Europa League.

Hellas Verona and Final Seasons

In 2013, Luca Toni joined Hellas Verona, which had just been promoted to Serie A.

Despite being in his late thirties, he continued scoring regularly. During the 2013–2014 season, he scored 20 league goals.

In the 2014–2015 season, Toni scored 22 goals in 38 Serie A matches. He shared the league's top goalscorer award with Mauro Icardi of Inter Milan.

At the age of 38, he became the oldest player to win the Serie A Capocannoniere title.

Toni announced his retirement during the 2015–2016 season. His final professional appearance came on May 8, 2016, against Juventus.

He scored a penalty with a chipped Panenka-style finish as Verona won the match 2–1.

He retired at the age of 38 after a professional career spanning more than two decades.

Playing Style and Goal Celebrations

Standing approximately 1.93 metres tall, Luca Toni played primarily as a traditional centre-forward.

He used his height and physical strength to compete for aerial balls, hold possession under pressure, and finish opportunities inside the penalty area.

He was particularly effective with headers and close-range shots, although he also scored with both feet.

His goal celebration, in which he rotated his right hand beside his ear, became associated with his appearances for Fiorentina, Italy, and Bayern Munich.

Career After Retirement

After retiring in 2016, Luca Toni worked in football management and media.

He completed training for a sporting director qualification and held a management position at Hellas Verona until 2017.

He also obtained football coaching qualifications and began working as a football commentator and television analyst.

His media appearances have included discussions of Italian and international football on sports television programmes.

Personal Life

Luca Toni married Italian former model Marta Cecchetto in September 2017. The couple had been together since 2003.

In 2012, their first child was stillborn. Their daughter Bianca was born in June 2013, followed by their son Leonardo in July 2014.

Major Honours and Awards

2003–2004 - Serie B Championship, Palermo (Winner)
2003–2004 - Serie B Top Goalscorer, 30 Goals
2005–2006 - Serie A Top Goalscorer, Fiorentina, 31 Goals
2006 - European Golden Shoe, Fiorentina (Winner)
2006 - FIFA World Cup, Italy (Winner)
2007–2008 - Bundesliga Championship, Bayern Munich (Winner)
2007–2008 - DFB-Pokal, Bayern Munich (Winner)
2007–2008 - Bundesliga Top Goalscorer, 24 Goals
2007–2008 - UEFA Cup Joint Top Goalscorer, 10 Goals
2009–2010 - Bundesliga Championship, Bayern Munich (Winner, Club Honours)
2009–2010 - DFB-Pokal, Bayern Munich (Winner, Club Honours)
2014–2015 - Serie A Joint Top Goalscorer, Hellas Verona, 22 Goals

Football Clubs

2013–2016 - Hellas Verona (Italy)
2012–2013 - Fiorentina (Italy)
2012 - Al-Nasr (United Arab Emirates)
2011–2012 - Juventus (Italy)
2010–2011 - Genoa (Italy)
2010 - AS Roma (Italy, Loan)
2007–2010 - Bayern Munich (Germany)
2005–2007 - Fiorentina (Italy)
2003–2005 - Palermo (Italy)
2001–2003 - Brescia (Italy)
2000–2001 - Vicenza (Italy)
1999–2000 - Treviso (Italy)
1998–1999 - Lodigiani (Italy)
1997–1998 - Fiorenzuola (Italy)
1996–1997 - Empoli (Italy)
1994–1996 - Modena (Italy)

Italy National Team

2004–2009 - Italy National Team (47 Appearances, 16 Goals)
2006 - FIFA World Cup (Champion)
2008 - UEFA European Championship (Quarterfinalist)
2009 - FIFA Confederations Cup (Group Stage)

Source: Biyografiler.com