By Paul Kennedy
Managing Editor
Soccer America
Luca Toni came into the 2006 World Cup as one of the tournament's most hyped players. having scored 31 goals for Fiorentina in the 2005-06 season, the most goals by a player in Serie A since 1957.
But Toni didn't score in Italy's first four games at the World Cup, drawing criticism from the hypercritical Italian media. Finally, in the Azzurri's quarterfinal match against Ukraine, Toni broke out, setting up Gianluca Zambrotta for Italy's first goal before scoring two himself as the Azzurri cruised into the semifinals with a 3-0 win.
''To be honest, I felt that I was being targeted,'' said Toni. ''I received a lot of criticism. I read that I wasn't training properly and that I didn't get on properly with my teammates. I can accept comments about my play but not about my behavior. It is so easy for those journalists to heap praise on me now.''
Toni became the eighth different player to score for Italy at the World Cup and ended a six-game drought with the Italy national team.
Toni, who was particularly upset with the Italian press for claiming he said he wanted to leave Fiorentina for a bigger club, was thankful for the support of Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
''The coach always had confidence in me, even when I wasn't scoring,'' said Tni, who has none goals in 22 games for Italy. ''I was playing for the team as a whole and Lippi told me, 'You've always got goals and they will come.' He was constantly reassuring me.''