The Future Is Now For Toni

As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, there will be a couple players who emerge to make “household names” for themselves this in Germany. There’s always somebody who puts on that national jersey and just tears it up under the bright lights of the World Cup (Maradona in ‘86, Zidane in ’98, and on and on). Italy appears to have a one of those prospects, and for those of you who’ve overlooked the Italian side for a few years, then pay attention to these two words: Luca Toni.

Having just watched Toni scorch Messina for his 20th and 21st goals of the campaign (he was one poorly placed header from a hat trick) I am reminded of Paolo Rossi, who exploded onto the national scene after spending several years at smaller clubs to take the ’82 World Cup by storm. At six feet and 175 lbs, Toni is a much larger target than Rossi was, but both have that uncanny knack for being around the ball and causing havoc. Toni is a bit of a late bloomer at age 28, and Rossi was nearly 26 when he turned Spain upside down, so neither had that dreaded ‘starlet’ tag. Toni’s partnership with Gilardino up front appears ready to bloom for the men in blue— don’t be surprised to see him on the score sheets this summer.