Totti not ruling out Italy return

Roma captain Francesco Totti has hinted that he may be open to a national
team recall following the return of FIFA World Cup™ wining coach Marcello
Lippi. Totti won the last of his 58 caps for Italy in the 2006 FIFA 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."

Hopes for a striker:

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.
"I hope that we sign a top striker. The important thing is that it is a
player who can make a difference. I would take Mutu over everyone else. He
would enjoy himself here," Totti said. "(John Arne) Riise and (Simone) Loria
are two excellent buys. Riise is an international player and in his role
Loria is one of the strongest players in Italy."
It has been a long summer for Totti, who has been battling back from his knee
injury with the Italian Super Cup against Inter on August 24 his target,
while while haggling over a new contract with his current deal set to expire
in 2010.
"The target (for his return from injury) is August 24, but the important
thing is to return when I'm ready. I miss football, but even when I'm not
supposed to, I will have a secret kick about. The directors have always said
that I will sign for life. My current deal ends in 2010, so this is the last
year for renewing it."

Source: fifa.com

Cannavaro looking ahead to 2010

Italy's FIFA World Cup™ winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has declared his intention to still be available to Italy when they make the defence of their world crown in South Africa in 2010. The Real Madrid defender will be 36 when the tournament kicks off in Africa for the first time ever, but he told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he will still have plenty left to offer returning FIFA World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi.
"If the coach wants me, I will be there to retain the World Cup in South Africa. I will always make myself available. Always," he said. "I will have to work more, as at 35 years of age (he turns 35 on September 13) everything becomes more complicated. But playing for Italy is a pleasure and an honour. It's unique."
Cannavaro, who is recuperating from his pre-UEFA EURO 2008 knee injury, doesn't expect Lippi to radically change the Italy line-up, though is aware that a number of Gianluigi Casiraghi's under-21 team will start to establish themselves in the senior squad. Defender Giorgio Chiellini has led the way, the Juventus defender filling in for Cannavaro in Austria and Switzerland and is likely to be Cannavaro's partner in central defence when he returns to action.
"It's true that my generation are starting to lose little things and that it is time to think about the future," he said. "Giuseppe, who I see in Spain (for Villarreal), is excellent and there is (Alberto) Aquilani. They only need a bit of experience. In defence Chiellini was excellent (at EURO 2008) and there is (Andrea) Barzagli and (Alessandro) Gamberini. There's lots of youngsters, but if one is truly excellent you will only tell in the big games."
The Naples-born Cannavaro also feels that there could be return for a pair of heroes from the Germany 2006 campaign, if they want it. AC Milan's Alessandro Nesta and Roma's Francesco Totti both retired from international football following the triumph in Berlin, but since the departure of Donadoni both are thought to be considering a return to international action.
He said: "I don't think it would be bad. It happened in France with (Zinedine) Zidane and (Lillian) Thuram (before the 2006 FIFA World Cup). The door is always open and the rules are the same for everyone."

Source: FIFA.com