Totti not ruling out national team return
Sunday, 13 July 2008
ROME, July 12 (AFP): Roma captain Francesco Totti has hinted that he may be open to a national team recall following the return of World Cup wining coach Marcello Lippi.
Totti won the last of his 58 caps for Italy in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin before he dithered over whether to officially retire that summer and only did so in 2007.
Lippi recently declared that he will respect Totti's decision to retire and that he has no plans to entice back the man who scored the last-minute penalty that beat Australia in the second round in Germany.
However, Totti told Sky Sports Italia that with Lippi back at the helm he would need to speak to the new coach before he changes his mind and that for the time being his is concentrating on his recovery from knee surgery.
"I have an excellent relationship with him, away from the field as well and we are often in touch with one another.
It is up to him to see and for now I am only thinking about my recovery. I've not yet spoken to Lippi about this, we will have to weigh things up in the future."
With Totti missing the last two months of the 2007-08-season, Mirko Vucinic was Roma's only out and out attacker in the title run-in in which they finished second to Inter Milan.
Whilst the Stadio Olimpico club has strengthened its squad in the summer months, the 31 year-old is hopeful that another striker will be added and has high hopes that Fiorentina's Romania striker Adrian Mutu will be lining up alongside him when the league kicks off on August 31.
Totti won the last of his 58 caps for Italy in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin before he dithered over whether to officially retire that summer and only did so in 2007.
Lippi recently declared that he will respect Totti's decision to retire and that he has no plans to entice back the man who scored the last-minute penalty that beat Australia in the second round in Germany.
However, Totti told Sky Sports Italia that with Lippi back at the helm he would need to speak to the new coach before he changes his mind and that for the time being his is concentrating on his recovery from knee surgery.
"I have an excellent relationship with him, away from the field as well and we are often in touch with one another.
It is up to him to see and for now I am only thinking about my recovery. I've not yet spoken to Lippi about this, we will have to weigh things up in the future."
With Totti missing the last two months of the 2007-08-season, Mirko Vucinic was Roma's only out and out attacker in the title run-in in which they finished second to Inter Milan.
Whilst the Stadio Olimpico club has strengthened its squad in the summer months, the 31 year-old is hopeful that another striker will be added and has high hopes that Fiorentina's Romania striker Adrian Mutu will be lining up alongside him when the league kicks off on August 31.