Veteran striker Luca Toni has insisted that he will not quit football until he is "no longer competitive" as he prepares to begin his 22nd season as a professional.
The 38-year-old became the oldest player ever to win the Serie A golden boot after scoring 22 goals for Hellas Verona last season, and only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more goals than the former Italian international in 2015.
Toni's season saw the club captain rewarded with a new one-year deal earlier this summer, and he insists that he can keep playing at the highest level.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I'm only going to quit when I'm scoring just three goals a season and am no longer competitive.
"It's going to be difficult to repeat last season, but I've always scored my goals and I'm ready for this new challenge."
Toni's comments come on the eve of Verona's first game of the new season against AS Roma tomorrow.
Written by
Tom Nightingale
Tom Nightingale
