Nobody can doubt Bayern Munich’s ambition. After missing out on Champions League qualification, Uli Hoeness and Franz Beckenbauer won back the fanbase with an investment of nearly £50m for the likes of Franck Ribery, Miroslav Klose and, of course, World Cup winner Luca Toni.
“This is the strongest and most complete squad I have ever had in my career,” said Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who had originally been brought in as just a stop-gap following Felix Magath’s February dismissal. “Our fans are so impressed they have renamed us FC Hollywood. Our attack is truly explosive, with Klose and Toni settling in brilliantly.
“The ‘handsome Italian’ Toni is the classic finisher who can also play as a lone centre-forward and harass the opponents, giving our team the chance to achieve its balance. He gives us the opportunity to hold up the ball for the midfielders to push forward and aim for goal. He is also deadly on crosses, because his physicality and heading ability can make the difference.”
Former Fiorentina and Palermo hero Toni has surprised Bundesliga followers in the opening rounds with his talented feet, providing goals and some spectacular moves. Essentially, he is a striker capable of making the most of any opportunity that presents itself. “In my career I have scored a lot of goals and I am sure I can continue that run in Munich,” said the 2006 European Golden Boot winner. “Miro and I complement each other. He is an atypical forward, as he is unselfish. I had a very warm welcome in Bavaria and did not think I would be so looked after even in the training sessions.”
Among those keeping a close eye on the tall superstar are the female fans, who have already dedicated songs to him in the stadium. “It’s not just women here, entire families come to the training sessions and watch us work in total silence before asking for a picture or autograph when we finish,” he grinned. “It’s wonderful.”
However, according to the first Italian ace to play for Bayern, Ruggiero Rizzitteli, Toni wasn’t entirely convinced about the move. “Luca was a little concerned about going to Germany, because of the language and the fact that only one Italian player had gone from Serie A to the Bundesliga before,” explained the 40-year-old. “He called me for some advice and I told him to go for it. Bavaria is perfect and German is not such a difficult language to learn. I think he is capable of hitting 25 goals in the Bundesliga, and if he is playing like that the fans will worship him.”
The lanky hitman will probably want to thank Rizzittelli then after revealing his initial impressions of Germany. “I have to admit the city of Munich is very beautiful,” he said. “The flora, fauna and historic monuments make it a place where you can live contentedly. My girlfriend Marta and I have decided to live in the centre so that we can get to know the city better.”
There is a photograph that shows Toni not entirely comfortable with the Munich life – when the entire Bayern squad wore lederhosen for the team poster. “It’s true, I did not feel at ease! But this is a tradition here and I will have to get used to it, especially as during the Oktoberfest the whole team will be presented at the beer festival.”
Learning the local language is also proving tricky, although Toni has found some way to break the barrier. “I speak to Ribery in Modena dialect, which is quite similar to French, so he has great fun with that. With the Brazilians and Argentines we talk Italian, while I converse with the Germans in English. Hitzfeld doesn’t know Italian, so when we meet after the training session we often have to understand each other with hand signals.”
When it comes to his career objectives with Bayern, there is no room for misinterpretation. “I hope to score many goals and contribute to the title – or Deutscher Meister, as they say here – but we also want the UEFA Cup and German Cup.”
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