EURO 2004 COUNTDOWN: It was Totti Day at the "Casa Azzurri" yesterday and Italy's most popular footballer was not rising to the bait. With just four days to go until Italy open their Euro 2004 campaign against Denmark in Giumares, things had been relatively controversy-free in the Italian camp and Totti was keeping it that way. Paddy Agnew reports from Lisbon
Perhaps disappointed by the lack of internecine strife, the massed Italian sports press probed and pushed, quizzing Francesco Totti about alleged jealousies between him and (Alessandro) Del Piero, about a possible future at Real Madrid and about his status as "key" player for Italy. All to no avail, as the Roma captain replied with a series of disarming smiles and pithy one-liners as neat and effective as his much-loved backheels.
If anyone had any doubts about the importance of Totti to Italy and the Italians, yesterday they needed to look no further than the Italian encampment on the waterfront just across the road from the 16th century Belem Tower in Lisbon. Striker Marco Di Vaio, reserve goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and midfielder Simone Perrotta all turned up to meet the press but were almost ignored in the crush to gather round Totti.
Looking tanned, relaxed and only occasionally bored, Totti gave a performance that bodes well for the forthcoming championships. If he skips past opponents on the playing field as gracefully as he dodged the slings and arrows of outrageous hacks yesterday, then Italy are on their way to Euro glory.
With his club Roma deep in financial crisis, there has been much speculation about 41-times capped Totti's club future - nothing better than a major transfer story to knock the Italian star off his game. "Is it possible you will be going to Real Madrid, Francesco?" "Don't know", came the reply, accompanied by a grin, "At the moment, I'm only thinking about the European Championships".
Two days ago, Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni lavished high praise on Totti, comparing him to such legends as Frenchman Michel Platini. Needless to say, the hacks could see dangers in the coach's laudatory remarks. "Surely, such praise just adds to the heavy pressure you are already under, Francesco?" "No. I'm flattered by the boss's words of praise but, in the end, there are a lot of other good players in this team. We're a very united group, we're all on the same wavelength, nobody is better or more important than anybody else. One single player can never win on his own"
Which were just about the same words as uttered two days ago by Del Piero. Were Del Piero's words, asked another colleague, evidence of a latent jealousy vis-a-vis Totti? "No, Ale (Del Piero) did well to say that, he was speaking as a matter of pride and determination."
Curiously, the man from the Financial Times intervened at this point, wanting to know why Totti's Serie A form had fallen off badly after March this season. Given that Totti was Roma's outstanding player from the beginning to the end of season (during which he also scored 20 Serie A goals), this was truly a baffling question: "Maybe, you didn't see the whole Serie A season", suggested Totti in a reply that was the very soul of discretion.
Before leaving Italian soil earlier this week, Totti boldly declared his belief that Italy could win Euro 2004. "Now that you are here in Portugal," began another reporter, "are you still quite so confident?" As if, by implication, Totti's bold prediction had been made only for domestic consumption
"I hope that Italy wins this competition. I said it before we left and I repeat it now, we are good enough to win."
"But surely you feel you are being put under too much pressure by coach Trapattoni?", asked another reporter, in a last desperate attempt to flush out a whiff of controversy.
"Before we left Italy, I said that I was ready to stand up and be counted and I repeat that. But other players in the side have to stand up and be counted too, that's the only way we will play well".
"What about England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's words of praise for your team-mate Antonio Cassano? Surely that makes you jealous?" tried yet another indefatigable, would-be polemicist "No. Antonio is a great player, he deserves to get the chance to show just how good he is at these finals," replied the man whose book of jokes about himself has already raised more than 750,000 for UNICEF and for Rome Town Council's Caring For The Elderly service. (A second book of Totti jokes is already in the bookshops).
The surprising sense of self-mockery and maturity displayed in Totti's recent "literary" success were all too evident yesterday as he danced along, always two steps ahead of the press posse. When the lady from Bulgaria put up her hand to ask him if Italy would be already qualified by the time they came to play their third (first round) game against Bulgaria, Totti yet again failed to fall into the trap: "I hope so," he replied, again with that winning smile.
