Under Louis van Gaal, Luca Toni lost his regular starting position and departed for Italy after only a few months. His memories of the Dutch coach remain distinctly negative.
Former Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni (48) has once again sharply criticized ex-FCB coach Louis van Gaal (74), using strong words.
In the show ‘You’ll never talk alone,’ the 2006 World Champion recounted how van Gaal seemingly tried to assert himself at the expense of several prominent players: «He had already sent away Lúcio (who moved to Inter). He wanted to send me away. He wanted Franck (Ribéry) out of the team. There were many problems with van Gaal. But that’s just one of them. We could make a five-hour show about it.»
Toni’s conclusion: «I believe he is a good coach. But when it came to human relations, he was a complete zero.»
Toni left Bayern after six months under van Gaal, initially moving to Roma on loan in early 2010. Six months later, the Munich club allowed him to join FC Genoa on a free transfer.
Luca Toni Has Repeatedly Criticized Louis van Gaal
This isn’t the first time Toni has spoken critically about van Gaal. As early as 2009, he sharply remarked that his relationship with the Dutchman was «as good as over.» He described experiencing «four long months of attrition, deprivation, and misunderstanding with the current coach.» These statements led to his suspension for the subsequent Champions League match against Maccabi Haifa.
Later, Toni complained about the Dutchman: «He treats players like interchangeable objects.» Toni claimed that on his very first day at Säbener Straße, van Gaal grabbed him by the collar, «shouting and shouting.» Toni continued: «I just nodded and said, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes.’ Once the coach left, I had everything translated by Diego Contento. It was apparently all about him being the one in charge. And that I, even though my name is Toni, had to adhere to his rules.»
In 2011, he recalled: «The coach wanted to make it clear to us that he could substitute any player — no matter their name — because he had ‘balls.’ To demonstrate this, he dropped his trousers. I had never experienced anything like that; it was completely insane. But I didn’t see much. I wasn’t in the front row.»
Van Gaal worked at Bayern until April 2011 before being dismissed. Afterward, he served twice as the Dutch national coach and as head coach for Manchester United, among other roles. Since 2023, he has been an advisor to Eredivisie record champion Ajax Amsterdam.
Luca Toni’s Time at FC Bayern in Numbers
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Matches | 89 |
| Goals | 58 |
| Assists | 25 |
| Titles | 4 |