Mario and Francesco should stay home for the summer

 Francesco Totti and Mario Balotelli are two of the most spotlighted players in Serie A these days.  For the past decade, the captain of AS Roma has been the center of a controversy or a fantasy-market move to Real Madrid, Manchester, or Chelsea at the end of every season.  Not to be outdone, up and coming national team hopeful Balotelli has been making waves since he burst out onto the scene several years ago.  Born from Ghanaian parents and adopted by Italians, his appearnance on the professional pitch has sparked many controversies over his nationality, his playing skills, and, most of all, his attitude on the field.  This past year has been marked by debates concerning Mario like no other.  Only Antonio Cassano and his "Cassanate" have been comparably popular fodder for journalists, bloggers and football fans.

Francesco and Mario have been the centers of the most typical debate concerning the national team:  Who will the coach call up?  Some Italians seem to think that the forwards are the most important players.  Although Totti officially retired from the Azzurri four years ago, hardly a month goes by without a journalist suggesting that Totti should play for the national team again, especially since he has been an even more prolific goal scorer in league play since the World Cup.  This year, with the tournament just around the corner, is no different.  Some have even suggested that Totti is finished and is slowly fading from Serie A quality; such voices become quite vociferous when Totti is injured, but they instantly fade when he leaves the infirmary and immediately scores a double.  Take Totti's latest season.  He was injured several months in, and Roma struggled in a few games.  The situation appeared bleak after Luciano Spalletti's exit, but soon after Claudio Ranieri took over, Roma went on to a twenty-odd no losing streak that challenged Inter's reign at the top of the table for the first time in five years.  For those of you who claim that "Roma is nothing without Totti," much of this achievement was accomplished with the captain on the sidelines.  Nonetheless, he has marked his return to the pitch with a series of important goals, included the double that lifted Roma over a scrappy Cagliari on Sunday.

Balotelli has been a deep source of journalistic inspiration this year because of his extraordinary skills, his young age and his controversial goal celebrations.  Hardly a week goes by without the media intensely praising or condemning him.  Many clamor for his inclusion on the national team, believing him to be the solution to Italy's goal scoring problem.  (In my opinion, Italy's less than satisfactory scoring situation is a symptom of something more problematic, rather than the problem)  This past week's controversy, rooted in Totti's savage kick at Balotelli during the Italy Cup final, will no doubt continue to fuel this debate.  Each player claimed the other insulted him: Balotelli called Totti a "finished" player, and Totti replicated the affront after he fouled Mario.  Both players were quite out of line, and neither scored in that game.  But they both scored in league play on Sunday, indicating that neither was finished, and both were in form for the World Cup call-up.

I believe neither should go.  Totti made his decision to leave four years ago, and I believe his health and consistency on the field in league play have significantly improved because of his decision.  Balotelli needs to mature spiritually and mentally before he can take on the responsibility of being one of Italy's top thirty players.  Italy has no lack of prolific goal scorers for the tournament; indeed she has an embarrassing array of choices for this role.  What Italy needs is some calm and tranquility to prepare itself for the competition, and Mario and Francesco would certainly provide neither.