Betting tips / Michael Lintorn / 24 January 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Francesco Totti's history-making effort in Serie A when he broke Gunnar Nordahl's 210-goal record with a single club has led to calls for him to walk straight into Italy's Euro 2012 squad.

Francesco Totti has come in for plenty of criticism on these pages since the summer and justifiably so, as on several occasions the Roma captain has shown that despite his experience, he is more likely to exacerbate than calm problems in times of trouble.

However, the events of the last few weeks have shown that when things are running smoothly, there are few players more adept at orchestrating the good times than Totti, even at the age of thirty-five.

These are exciting times for Roma, who, after experiencing almost constant turbulence during Luis Enrique's first few months in charge, are now enjoying the benefits of their un-Italian show of boardroom patience, one which was not always mirrored by the fans.

Ignoring the recent trip to Catania, which was suspended at 1-1 and will be continued at a later date, the Giallorossi have won five in a row and Totti has been key, scoring four times in that sequence, while he is [3.85] to strike again at Juventus in the cup on Tuesday.

Two of those goals came in the first eight minutes of an emphatic 5-1 victory over Cesena last weekend and allowed the Roma icon another huge slice of history, making him the most prolific one-club man ever to grace Serie A.

The veteran trequartista has dominated discussions since, leading to Italy coach Cesare Prandelli being asked if he would consider taking the World Cup winner, who retired from international duty in 2007, to Euro 2012, a tournament that the Azzurri are [16.0] to win.

"Why not, if he's in good shape," was his reaction, whether out of courtesy or sincerity it isn't too clear. Totti has embraced the speculation, responding to Prandelli's open-mindedness with the comments: "Never say never. Let's see how I am in May."

The idea of a coach giving a player who missed the qualifiers a bye to the finals is controversial, with Marcello Lippi resisting temptation to bring back Totti at the last World Cup. It would be even tougher for Prandelli having thus far favoured a young squad and valued form over reputation.

But if Totti is still shining at the end of the season and Antonio Cassano and Giuseppe Rossi haven't recovered from their injuries, the former Fiorentina boss could have a big decision to make.