Former Italy striker Luca Toni has announced his retirement after suffering relegation from Serie A with Hellas Verona.
The 38-year-old made his announcement at a press conference on Wednesday, four days before his current side tackle one of his previous teams, Juventus.
He was a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, and played for a legion of clubs, including Fiorentina, Palermo and Bayern Munich, with whom he won two Bundesliga titles.
"Sunday will be the last game of my career," said Toni. "I'll stop being a footballer. After so many years this is the right time.
"It's been a difficult and painful decision, but with a clear head I've reached the end. Leaving football is difficult."
He said, according to his club's Twitter feed: " It will be nice to share this moment in a stadium like the Bentegodi. The fans have made me feel an important player."
Toni helped to keep Verona afloat in the top flight of Italian football for two seasons, with 20 league goals in 2013/14 and a league-best 22 in 2014/15.
But this term, blighted by injury, Toni has not been as effective, and without his stream of goals Verona have sunk to the foot of the table.
Source: PA
