Totti's time

Italy coach Marcello Lippi, unlike his predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni, doesn't see Totti as the team's foundation; rather, he's a cog in the machine. An important cog, but, nevertheless, a cog and one which, if need be, can be replaced.

"I know it's a cliche when players say that it's about the team and they just want to be useful, but I'm not kidding myself," Totti says. "My role has changed a bit, but the key thing is that I feel just as important. It's just that now I can focus on a few things, without being asked to run the whole team. And I think that will help me."

Indeed, unlike in 2002 and 2004 you can picture this Italy side without him, whether in a 4-4-2 (with two out of Simone Perrotta, Mauro Camoranesi and Rino Gattuso out wide) or a 4-3-3 (with Ale Del Piero joining Gilardino and Toni up front).

"There are many number 10s who can create goal chances for others and hit excellent freekicks and Totti does this very well," says Totti's old boss at Roma, Fabio Capello. "But what sets him apart is the way he strikes the ball. Every time he shoots on goal, he hits the target. He's got one of the purest strikes in the game and he can hit it from almost anywhere in the pitch. Having him out there is like having an extra center forward."

Indeed, Totti's goalscoring often gets overlooked. Over the past four years, he has averaged more than 15 league goals a season, a tremendous tally for an attacking midfielder. The fact that they've come for Roma, a team which regularly misses out on the Champions' League (and tends to underperform when it does qualify) means this has often gone unnoticed.

But what better opportunity to set this right than the biggest stage of all, the World Cup? And what better chance to hear 30,000 voices united in singing the opening of Seven Nation Army?