The Observer:
All season Totti has been playing with pins in a knee that requires further surgery, while shouldering the expectation of a club that worships him and having his mental strength tested by polemics in the media about his controversial relationship with the Italian national team. It is probably just as well that Francesco Totti is not one of football's great thinkers. He has toned down the worrying, the touchiness, about what people say about him. He is no longer so melodramatic and the results have been plain for all to see on the football pitches of Italy: Totti is in the form of his life.
Serie A's current top scorer and most spectacular fantasista has been so outstanding that Roma's fans are convinced he should be the unanimous choice for this year's Ballon D'Or and see no need for a formal vote.
Across Europe, he has Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Daniel Alves for competition. Totti's case is a strong one, although non-believers undermine it by pointing to his decision to opt out of international football. He withdrew from Italy duty in the aftermath of his country's World Cup win, explaining he needed time to heal properly from his injuries. His influence was so intermittent during the tournament many wondered whether he was stopping because his talent was on the wane, but he was clearly unfit.
The Champions League matters immensely to Totti, because through it he can showcase his recharged talent on the global stage. Roma have put in some startling domestic performances this season, notably a near perfect 7...#8209;0 deconstruction of Catania and an emphatic first win in 20 years at AC Milan (Totti of course was instrumental). But the game that has really illuminated their campaign was the stylish 2-0 victory in Lyon to set up their first Champions League quarter-final. There is considerable excitement about Manchester United's visit to the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday. Fans queued overnight to secure tickets for what is Roma's grandest continental challenge since they met Liverpool in the 1984 European Cup final.
Last week Totti announced he would return for the Azzurri for the start of next season. Coach Roberto Donadoni was unimpressed, however, and told reporters in no uncertain terms that only one man would decide his international future and that man is not Francesco Totti.
But domestically he can do little wrong. There is one anomaly about Totti's form this season, however, and that is from the penalty spot, where he has missed on six occasions. It has become a real curiosity, this weakness amid the brilliance, and was the talk of Rome after his latest failure. His fans point to a typically Totti-esque reaction: given another chance from 12 yards in training the following week, in front of the cameras, he took a hearty run-up, pirouetted just before he reached the ball and slammed a delicious backheel into the net.
For his loyalty and his flamboyance, the Roma fans love him unconditionally. As Fabio Capello once said: 'Selling Totti would be like selling the Colosseum.'
The Telegraph:
Looking to block Manchester United's path to the Champions League semi-finals is a player Sir Alex Ferguson knows only too well. The United manager is a long-time admirer of AS Roma defender Philippe Mexes and has twice tried to lure the Frenchman to Old Trafford.
Ferguson first spotted Mexes as a 16-year-old at Auxerre and immediately invited him to Manchester. A wide-eyed Mexes returned to France clutching his gift from Ferguson - a United shirt with a number six and Mexes printed on the back - but decided he was too young to move abroad.
The two remained in contact and Ferguson looked set to get his man three years ago, only for Mexes to reject United again, this time in favour of Roma. Much water has passed under the bridge since but the significance of lining up against United is not lost on the France international. "From a personal point of view playing United is very special," Mexes said. "I still have the shirt and the photos from my visit to Old Trafford and I have great memories from that day.
"But I'll be totally focused on Wednesday. This is the first time Roma have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, it's a massive day."
As a youngster, Mexes was often hailed as France's next Laurent Blanc, but his promising career took a turn for the worse after joining Roma. Auxerre coach Guy Roux had been determined to do business with United, who were reportedly ready to pay £10 million, and was furious when he learned that Mexes had signed for cash-strapped Roma without his permission.
The French club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and after several months of wrangling they were granted financial compensation. Mexes received a six-week ban. His relationship with Roux soured and the 25-year-old remains convinced that a subsequent three-year absence from the France team - which ended against Austria on Wednesday - was a result of his former coach's meddling. "Roux's influence in France is far greater than mine," Mexes noted.
Such problems could have been avoided had he opted for United but the centre-back insists he has no regrets. "Guy Roux wanted me to join United but I wanted to make my own mind up," Mexes said. "I was concerned about moving directly from a tiny club like Auxerre to one of the world's biggest clubs. It would have been a huge jump. Also, Roma had made it clear that I was a priority for them and I was keen to play for Fabio Capello. In the end it was a logical choice."
Capello left Roma shortly after Mexes arrived, however, and the defender suffered a tumultuous start. Indeed, it was his sending-off against Dynamo Kiev that sparked shameful scenes at the Stadio Olimpico and led to referee Anders Frisk sustaining a head injury. "The first few months were difficult and my performances were inconsistent," Mexes conceded. "But the experience toughened me up and I feel I'm a stronger defender today than I was at Auxerre."