Toni shoots for World Cup with AS Roma move

December 31, 2009

Bayern Munich’s Italian World Cup winner Luca Toni is being lent to Serie A club AS Roma for the rest of the season, the German giants said Thursday.

“Luca Toni asked the board of Bayern Munich in personal talks to lend him to AS Roma until the end of the season for personal reasons,” Bayern said in a statement.

“He wants to realise his biggest aim, playing for Italy in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with regular appearances in Serie A.”

The 32-year-old’s move comes as little surprise, with the Italian saying publicly on numerous occasions that he wanted to leave Bayern following a breakdown in relations with Bayern’s Dutch trainer Louis van Gaal.

Signed from Italian side Fiorentina in 2007, Toni was the Bundesliga’s top scorer in his first season, with 24 goals in 31 league games on the way to Bayern winning the German title.

But since van Gaal’s arrival on July 1, he has made just four league appearances, and has failed to score all season.

He stormed out of Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga on November 7 after the coach replaced him at half-time and the Italian was later fined for his conduct and apologised.

“The Bayern Munich board thanked Luca Toni … and wished him all the best at AS Roma, lots of success and above all a place in the World Cup,” it said.

BERLIN (AFP)

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