Reuters Soccer Blog

Should Totti be allowed to make World Cup comeback?

Italy coach Marcello Lippi says we won’t know until next week whether Francesco Totti will come out of international retirement at the World Cup.

It’s unclear if the wait is because Totti has not decided yet, Lippi has not made up his mind or they are just building the tension ready for the announcement of the 30-man preliminary squad on May 11.

The AS Roma striker, 33, quit the Azzurri after their 2006 World Cup triumph but has recently hinted he would be interested in going to South Africa in June if he was fully fit.

Injuries have dogged him for the past few years but he is looking sharper now than he has for a while in a title-chasing Roma side. Totti never excelled for Italy but he offers a creativity the squad is now sorely lacking.

The big question in Italy though is whether Lippi should allow him to waltz back into the team or the squad having not contributed to qualification and given renewed controversy over his on-field behaviour.

If Totti is called up, the striker that misses out on selection will be feel very hard done by. Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio Quagliarella helped during qualifying and even though World Cup hopeful Luca Toni has not featured for Italy of late, he endured a tortuous Euro 2008 for the Azzurri colours while Totti was sunning himself on a beach.

Like many, Ronaldinho’s World Cup bid may have come too late

Ronaldinho has been left out of Brazil’s squad for next month’s friendly with Ireland, making it highly unlikely he will make Dunga’s list of 23 for June’s World Cup.

It’s quite a come down for the former world player of the year but he has been having a much better season at AC Milan following three years of problems. 

Ultimately, Ronaldinho may have timed his bid for South Africa too late just like several other players in Serie A.

Outside of Italy, MICHAEL OWEN is probably the best of example of a big name player looking set to miss the first finals in Africa.

A Champions League hat-trick for Manchester United in the group stages failed to persuade Alex Ferguson to give him more first team opportunities and the only way he can realistically make Fabio Capello’s squad now is to hope for a several injuries upfront.

But it is Serie A where a host of World Cup hopefuls are struggling to realise their dream. Here’s a list in no particular order. 

FRANCESCO TOTTI – Yes I know he is officially retired from international football but the AS Roma striker has been giving strong hints that he will make himself available for Italy’s World Cup squad after quitting following their 2006 triumph.

Lippi unmoved by Totti’s come-get-me hints

While everyone at AS Roma would probably do the Birdie song standing on their heads if Francesco Totti asked, the Italian capital’s golden boy learned his charms have limits this week.

The striker has been hinting for some time he’d like to come out of international retirement, having quit Italy after being part of Lippi’s 2006 World Cup-winning team.

The most recent come-get-me call was last month, when he said he would “think twice” about returning if Marcello Lippi picked up the phone.

But Lippi is either not getting the signals or he’s turning a deaf ear.

“Francesco is an extraordinary lad and player, but he’s made his decision and I’m not going back on it,” Lippi told reporters at the Azzurri’s training camp for Wednesday’s friendly in Switzerland.

There are two ways the Roma captain can interpret this. Either Lippi wants him back but would like the player to explicitly say he has made a U-turn, so it doesn’t seem like the boss is coming cap in hand for help after Italy’s dreadful Confederations Cup showing.

Or Lippi has no place in his plans for a gifted-yet-injury prone 32-year-old and Totti’s retirement is a good way to sidestep the issue. After all, Lippi already has plenty of people on the wrong side of their prime — what he needs are more players whose best days are in front of them.

Who’s the best one-club player?

One-club players are rare and precious.

The likes of Paolo Maldini, Raul, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes might be handsomely paid by their clubs, but the fact they have spurned chances to get even richer elsewhere suggests they share at least some of the fans’ devotion to the colours they wear.

Inter Milan’s Patrick Vieira recognised this recently when talking about his former Juventus team mate Alessandro Del Piero.

“What I like about him, and envy a little, is that he has played all his career for the same team and won everything with that team,” Vieira told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Indeed, Del Piero has a good claim to being the world’s top one-club man.

Five Serie A titles and a Champions League are part of the 34-year-old’s trophy haul at Juventus. He also holds the Turin club’s record for appearances and goals — he netted his 250th for Juve in Saturday’s 4-0 win at Reggina.

AC Milan’s Maldini has more Serie A and Italy appearances than Del Piero, Real Madrid’s Raul has scored more European goals and both have won more Champions Leagues, as have Scholes and his Manchester United team mate Ryan Giggs.