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Every little kid dreams of becoming a great like the guy on the poster adoring his wall. When that little kid kicks a ball with friends in the park, when he makes a picture of himself scoring a match winning goal in the arts class, and when he lies on the bed before sleep takes him over. Not every kid lives that dream. Francesco Totti did.
Totti always dreamt of playing for AS Roma. When he was still only 12, his youth team Lodigiani agreed terms for his transfer to Lazio. Now that Biancocelesti are the fiercest rivals of Roma, it was completely unfathomable for the diehard Romanista to adorn the colours of their enemies.
The young Totti sent his mother, Fiorella, to implore Roma to sign him. His mother agreed and contacted Gildo Giannini, who at the time was in charge of the club’s youth academy. Giannini somehow managed to persuade Lodigiani’s management to cancel the Lazio deal and instead fulfill the 12-year-old’s dream of adorning the colours he so loved.
Thus, began a still ongoing love affair.
When manager Vujadin Boškov played him against Brescia on 28 March 1993, Francesco Totti made his senior Roma debut at the tender age of sixteen.
Totti won his solitary Serie A title in the 2000–01 season. He has won two Italian Cups, first in 2006–07 and then in 2007–08.
Over the course of his 25 years and ongoing stay at Roma, the Italian has set multiple records. Some which are listed here:
He is Serie A’s active leading goalscorer with 237 goals, the tally puts him second in the all-time top scorer list, he only trails Silvio Piola (374 goals).
He is Roma’s all-time leading goalscorer with 294 goals.
He is Roma’s all-time appearance maker with 723 games to his credit.
No other Roma player has made more appearances than him in the Serie A, he leads with 572 games.
He also holds the record for being Roma’s all-time appearance maker in the Champions League with 55 games.
With a typical free-kick goal in the group game against CSKA Moscow in the 2013/14 Champions League he became oldest goalscorer in the competition at the age of 38 years 59 days.
His Free-kick vs CSKA courtesy of FootballgoalsHD.
He holds the record for being Roma’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League with 18 goals.
Totti is also Roma’s leading goalscorer in Europa League with a tally of 21 goals.
With his stated aim of playing long enough to beat Piola’s record, Roma fans are assured of many more magical moments from their inspirational genius.
One of the best goals of his career so far. Video credits: Klaudius
Wasi is a keen fan with loads of knowledge about the game. He has written for some of the world’s leading soccer websites and is a major Barcelona and Pune City FC fan. He loves the Champions League and watches 200+ EPL games & La Liga games per season.