Totti says Tata to the Azzurri

by Tyduffy

A.S. Roma Midfielder Francesco Totti has bid farewell to the Italian national team.  Totti, who turns 31 in September, had taken an extended leave of absence from the Azzurri after the 2006 World Cup Victory.  Today, he chose to retire from International football rather than continue with the national squad.

He stated "The word finished is ugly, but I have taken this decision to end the chapter with the national team for various physical reasons and not technical."  He had been rushed back from a broken ankle to play in World Cup 2006, and played all of last season with a plate on his ankle to help support it.

Totti is perhaps the best Italian player of his generation.  He has been synonymous with his boyhood club Roma, since his first appearance in 1993 at the tender age of 16.  He has scored 186 goals for the club in 470 appearances, and won four Italian footballer of the year awards.

Last season, unencumbered by National Team duties, may have been his best.  He won the European Golden Boot scoring 26 goals in Serie A in 35 appearances (32 total).  He also led Roma to a 2nd place finish in Serie A, an Italian Cup victory, and to the quarterfinals of the Champions' League.

However, Totti failed to replicate his club form at international level.  He scored a mere 9 goals in 59 international appearances for Italy, and, despite the World Cup Winners' Medal, he never had the breakout performance that many had been expecting from him.

Francesco Totti will go down as one of the all-time greats in Italian football and a god among Roma supporters, but his inability to produce for his country will undoubtedly be a stain upon an otherwise great resume.

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