Francesco Totti Exclusive: King of Rome Talks Title Race, Roma Loyalty, Ronaldo
It's "Inside Roma Week" at Bleacher Report, and there was only ever one place to start. To follow the weekend that saw him score twice for his team in a pulsating Rome derby—and take football's greatest selfie—we bring you an exclusive Q&A with the legend who is Francesco Totti.
Football is a sport far too fond of superlatives. One good season, and a player is hailed as a genius. More than two years at a club, he's a legend. But every so often, someone comes along who's deserving of the plaudits. Someone who is consistently brilliant, not just over a period of months, but over years.
Francesco Totti has been one of the leading lights in world football now for two decades, and even at 38, the Bimbo d'Oro (Golden Boy) still has the Midas touch.
Roma's iconic No. 10 is one of the game's truly unique talents, and though he's changed position and style of play over the years and seen teammates, managers and club owners come and go, two things have remained constant: his commitment to his boyhood side and his prodigious ability to delight fans with moments of unlikely, audacious brilliance.
He's the second-leading scorer in Serie A's history—behind only Silvio Piola, who retired in 1954—and a World Cup winner, and he's broken every appearance and goalscoring record for the Giallorossi. And now, in the autumn of his career, Totti has one more special achievement in his sights: He might just become the first Roma player to win two Scudetti with the Lupi.
Bleacher Report: What makes Roma, the club, and Rome, the city, so special for you?
Francesco Totti: It's special because it's mine. It's my city, the city I love and the team I love and have always been a fan of.
B/R: How would you describe your relationship with Rudi Garcia, and why do you think he's been successful since coming to Rome?
FT: We have a great relationship. Garcia is an excellent coach and a person that I respect very much. He and I get along really well.
B/R: What's been the highlight of this season so far for you?
FT: For me personally, the goal in Manchester was a beautiful moment. As a team, I hope that the best moments for us are yet to come.
B/R: After such a long and successful career, what motivates you now to keep playing?
FT: The fact that I continue to enjoy playing football and that I still want to win a lot with this jersey.
B/R: What has changed most in Serie A since your debut back in 1993?
FT: A lot has changed. There is much more television. The players are better athletes, and the clubs are much more structured. Much more attention is given to details on, and especially off, the field.
B/R: Of all the great footballers you've played with or against, whom do you admire the most, and why?
FT: Ronaldo (the Brazilian one), among the ones I played against, because he was such an extraordinary player. Among my companions, I would say [Gabriel] Batistuta and [Antonio] Cassano, because they were incredible.
B/R: Do you have a favourite young player?
FT: I don’t want to say any names. There are a lot of young players in our Primavera [under-19 team] as well, but we should let them grow without stress.
B/R: What is your best memory from Roma's last Scudetto win?
FT: The win against Parma in the last match of the campionato and the joy of the entire city, which exploded. Before being a player, I was a diehard fan of Roma, so I know what the fans felt when we won.
B/R: Who influenced your career the most, and why?
FT: I will always say my family, because of all the sacrifices they made and for all the help they gave me to let me be where I am now.
B/R: Do you have any great regrets about your career so far?
FT: No, none at all. I might have had the chance to win much more with other teams, but I am proud of what I've done with this jersey. No victory with another jersey would have given me the same emotions and satisfactions that this one has given me as captain.
B/R: What do you think Roma have learned from this season's return to the Champions League?
FT: We certainly learned something. We had been out of the Champions League for a long time and we immediately were in a very tough group. It will serve as a further lesson for next year.
B/R: Aside from Juventus, who do you see as Roma's biggest rivals for the next few seasons, and why?
FT: Right now, Roma and Juventus are the best-equipped teams to win the title. However, the Italian championship is very fair and equal, so every match is a tough one.
B/R: What's it like to see your old teammate Vincenzo Montella on the bench of a rival team [Fiorentina]?
FT: Vincenzo has shown how good he is. I did not think that he would have done so well so early on, so I need to compliment him for this. He immediately became an excellent coach, both tactically and in managing the dressing room.
B/R: How does it feel to line up beside two other Romans, Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Florenzi, for your local club?
FT: Alessandro and Daniele represent the tradition of Roman players playing for this club. They are great players, great friends, and they will stay with this club for a long time. I am very happy that they are here.
B/R: What do you hope to achieve before retiring?
FT: I hope to win more with this jersey, and I am convinced that we will.
B/R: You recently said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that you'd like to coach Roma one day. Is becoming a manager something you're seriously considering once you hang up your boots?
FT: I still have not thought about this, to be honest. Right now I am a player, and I only think about playing on the field. When the time comes, I will think about it.
BR: If you could speak to the younger Francesco Totti, what advice would you give him?
FT: I would tell the young Francesco Totti to repeat everything that the older Totti did. If he's able to!
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