Once upon a time, we had Francesco Totti. A man beloved in his home club, Roma, and envied/hated/deemed overrated by many others. Yet the man’s stats speak for himself. On the top 10 all time scorers’ list for Serie A, and numerous trophies to his name- including a World Cup- fill out his CV.

Just a few choice quotes from our great tactician:

One of the most hotly debated topics in Italian football is the concept of the Oriundi. Some of you guys might not be familiar with the word, though the most famous Oriundo around today is probably Camoranesi. So what is an Oriundo and why is it such a contested topic?

Chris from the Catania blog gives his opinion on who deserves a spot on the Azzurri:

Word is that Nesta’s ever-recurring back problem is forcing him to undergo surgery.  Apparently, the pain is so bad that he’s had trouble sleeping. At 32 years of age, this could potentially force him to retire.

It’s been 3 days since Italy- Brazil. Three days of hindsight, three days of reflection.

Goal.com are launching a bid to have Maldini called up for the friendly against Brazil. Now, the chances of this actually happening are smaller than the chances of me buying an Xbox 360, but it raises an interesting point. Should Maldini be called up?

2008 is drawing to a close, and it was a hell of the year for the Azzurri. 12 months ago we were looking forward to the Euros and to being crowned European, as well as World, Champions. Luca Toni was on fire in the Bundesliga and in the national team, and we finished top of [...]

Amelia is out and will not play in the upcoming qualifiers. He picked up a back injury in training and word is that the doctors don’t want to risk the injury being any worse. Which is a shame cause he was really starting to grow on me. Buffon and De Sanctis are still there, but [...]