Francesco Totti
When Francesco Totti made his debut on March 28, 1993, I was a one-year-old kid and here I am, writing about one of the most respected figures in football as he bids farewell to his playing career.
Very few people can match the longevity of Francesco Totti. He made his debut for AS Roma as a 16-year-old and retires as the man who personifies the club 24 years later.
Totti was an exceptional footballer during his best years. He was versatile, he was tactically brilliant, he had excellent vision and was also two-footed. It’s no secret that the giants of Europe tried to lure him away from Roma. In fact, he revealed that he was close to joining Real Madrid in 2003 but he put his love for Roma above all.
The Italian’s major playing honours are the FIFA World Cup he won in 2006 and the solitary Serie A title he won in 2001. However, he has numerous individual records to his name. He is the second highest goalscorer in Serie A history with 250 goals and the third highest in the appearances list with 617 appearances which only puts him behind Gianluigi Buffon and Paolo Maldini.
Although Totti is yet to confirm his retirement, Roma’s new sporting director, Monchi, has said that the talismanic Italian will retire at the end of the season.
