Position: Forward
Born: 26.05.77
Club: Fiorentina

In just three seasons Luca Toni has gone from journeyman pro to Italian superstar.

In that time his goals have got Palermo promoted to Serie A, taken them into Europe and, following a summer move, fired Fiorentina upwards.

Toni began his career at Modena and failed to make an impact at any of the lower league clubs he played for until 15 goals for Treviso, in 1999/2000, convinced Brescia to sign him.

Under the tutelage of Roberto Baggio, Toni got off to a good start in the top flight but a dreadful second season saw him offloaded to Palermo, back in Serie B.

Once derided for his aerial ability his determination to improve saw him leave the island as equally predatory with either boot and, impressively, his head.

The move installed a new-found confidence and in his first season with the Rosaneri they stormed to promotion, largely thanks to his 30 goals.

Rarely does a player earn an Italy cap on the back of a good season in Serie B, but Toni was rewarded for his phenomenal goal ratio with a debut against Iceland in August 2004.

Back in Serie A many predicted a game fight against relegation for Palermo but Toni took the league by storm, netting 20 as the Sicilians booked a place in the UEFA Cup.

Fiorentina paid 10million euro for Toni in the summer of 2005 and they have been handsomely rewarded. The tall striker's glut of goals made him leading scorer in Serie A with the likes of Adriano, David Trezeguet and Andriy Shevchenko left trailing in his wake.

And a hat-trick in a 4-1 qualifying win over Belarus cemented his place in the Azzurri squad.

Whether Toni should start at the World Cup was once a fervent discussion point but his goalscoring habit has since steamrolled opinion in his favour.

• 10 Francesco Totti
• Christian Vieri
• 19 Gianluca Zambrotta