In a time when players kiss the badge one month and get transferred to another club weeks later, it is rare to see a player stick with one club for the entirety of his career.
That exclusive list includes greats like Ryan Giggs and Steven Gerrard, and with Francesco Totti’s announcement that he is calling time on his career next season, the world gets ready to celebrate one of the most loyal footballers ever.
Totti holds numerous records at Roma like most appearances in the league (601) and in all competitions (758).
He is currently 3rd on the all-time Serie A appearances list, only behind fellow legends Paolo Maldini and Javier Zanetti.
The Roma legend also holds some goal scoring records; his goal against Leece, his 175th for the club made him the top scorer for the club, overtaking Amedeo Amadei.
He sits 2nd on the all-time goal scorers list in Serie A, with 248 goals and is by far the club’s top scorer in all competitions, with 304 goals, 168 more than 2nd placed Roberto Pruzzo.
The Gladiator’s cult hero status was sealed on 17th June 2001, as he scored in the win against Parma to seal what was only the club’s 3rd Serie A title.
His 13 goals that season from the attacking midfield position, including important strikes in games against Udinese and Napoli were crucial to helping the team win their first league title in 18 years.
The Roma captain’s trophy haul includes One Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and two Supercoppa Italiana titles.
The fact that he won only five titles in his entire career adds more gloss to the folklore, as most people agree he would have won more titles if he had chosen to move to more elite clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus or Bayern Munich.
In a recent interview, the Golden Boy said the problem with most modern footballers is that they play for money and not for passion. “Footballers today are like nomads,” he said.
It buttresses the point that money has never been a huge motivation for the Italian footballer, who famously stated that you don’t leave your poor parents to live with wealthy strangers.
If there is a blemish on the stellar Francesco Totti, it’s that he didn’t get to contribute to the National team as much as he might have liked.
He retired 20th July 2007, making 58 appearances and scoring nine goals, and was part of the winning squad of 2006.
Francesco Totti also led a stellar life off the pitch. He was a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in 2003 and published two best-sellers to raise money for a Children’s charity.
He also played and coached some games to help abandoned children, including the campaigns “Football Adopting Abandoned Children” in 2009, and “Tennis with stars” in 2015.
In summary, Francesco Totti is one from the rare breed of footballers who spent almost all of their careers at their boyhood clubs.
It will not be at all surprising if the club decides to retire their famous son’s jersey or build him a statue when he finally hangs up his boots.
All hail Francesco Totti, the King of Rome!