(ANSA) - Verona, May 4 - Luca Toni, the big front man who led
the line in Italy's 2006 World Cup triumph, on Wednesday said he
was hanging up his boots at the age of 38.
The tall, gangly striker, last of a breed of Italian 'torri'
or 'towers' who were deadly in the air and not bad with their
feet, is leaving after his toughest season with a string of
injuries and club Verona relegated from Serie A.
Having scored 323 goals in a career that took him to 12
Serie A clubs including Palermo, Fiorentina and briefly Roma,
Toni has been top goalscorer in the top flight twice and once in
the second division.
At a club level he won his biggest trophies at Bayern Munich
with a League Cup, a German Cup and the Bundesliga title.
At Verona he scored 50 goals in the league and the Italian
Cup, becoming the oldest player ever to top the Serie A
goalscorers' standings - and the first to get there for Verona.
Luca Toni quits
World Cup-winning striker ends career at Verona