Luca Toni: Former Italy striker and World Cup winner to retire after 'terrible' season

By AFP

Image: Luca Toni will play his final game on Sunday when Verona take on Juventus

Former Italy striker Luca Toni has announced his retirement from football after a career spanning three decades.

The 2006 World Cup winner, who has scored 156 Serie A goals for eight different clubs, will hang up his boots after a final game for Verona against Juventus on Sunday.

Last season, at 38-years-old, Toni became the oldest player to win the league's top scorer award - an accolade he shared with Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi - after firing 22 goals.

But Verona were relegated from Serie A last week having spent most of the season at the foot of the table and Toni admitted the club's "terrible" season had prompted his decision.

Image: Luca Toni (right) celebrates Italy's World Cup win in 2006 with team-mates Simone Perrotta, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Andrea Pirlo

"After so many years of playing football, 22 in the professional ranks, I think the time has arrived for me to say goodbye," Toni told a press conference.

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"It was a difficult decision for me to make but I think it's the right decision to stop.

"I will feel a mix of joy and sadness, but I think it's right for me to retire at home with Verona on Sunday against Juve. We've had a terrible year and for me, mentally, I think I've come to the end."

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A storied career saw Toni also star for Bayern Munich, becoming the Bundesliga's top scorer in the 2007-2008 season.

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