Luca Toni

The Fiorentina forward bagged an incredible 31 goals in Serie A in 2005-06, breaking the club record of 26 previously held by the legendary Argentine Gabriel Batistuta and Swedish ace Kurt Hamrin.

Far from quick, Toni is strong, crafty and possesses a natural goal-scorer's instinct and often draws comparisons to Paolo Rossi, the Italian legend who led the Azzurri to World Cup glory with his six goals in 1982.

It's this unique blend of attributes that make Toni the most lethal striker in the world today.

Toni's ascension to the top of the goal-scoring heap in Europe was a long time in coming. He began his pro career in 1994 in Italy's third division with Modena. After two seasons with his hometown club, Toni earned a move to the second division, Serie B, with Empoli.

His career stalled with the Tuscan side, where he played just three games and he considered quitting soccer altogether. Instead, he stuck with it and spent the next two seasons back in the third division.

He netted 15 goals for Lodigiani in 1998-99 and said goodbye to the third division forever when he joined Treviso in the second division the following season. Toni bagged another 15 goals with the small club and made it to the big time in 1999 when he made his Serie A debut for Vicenza.

A two-year stint with Brescia followed where he scored 15 goals and served as the understudy of Italian legend Roberto Baggio Toni looked set to enjoy a long run in Italy's top division

Instead, it was back in Serie B that he skyrocketed to fame. He joined Palermo in 2003-04 and in his first season as a regular starter during his roller coaster career, he exploded for 30 goals to help the Sicilian side win promotion.

Back in Serie A, Toni showed his 30 goals were no fluke when he scored 21 for Palermo in 2004-05 as the club earned a UEFA Cup berth.

Idolized in Palermo, Toni suddenly found himself as the hottest commodity in Italian soccer and several big clubs tried to sign him. Fiorentina came calling and paid Palermo 10 million euros ($14 million) to bring the explosive striker back to Tuscany.

Toni responded by scoring 31 goals this past season to finish as capocannonieri, Serie A's top scorer. He also established himself as the national team's main goal-scoring threat, scoring four goals in the qualifying round, including a hat trick against Belarus last September.

After facing some of the best defenders in the world in the Italian league, Toni now looks set to explode in Germany and prove that he is among the best forwards in the world