Francesco Totti

Francesco Totti, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born 27 September 1976 in Rome) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He plays for A.S. Roma in Italy's Serie A, a league where he also stands as the top active scorer, with over two hundred goals. Between 1998 and 2006 he was a regular member of the Italian national team, with whom he won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is considered as one of the finest players in his generation. and also Roma's greatest player ever.

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• Because I grew up playing for Roma and I want to die playing for Roma, because I have always been a Roma's fan!
  • Answering the question: "Francesco, why don't you play for another team for two or three years in order to win something more?". From the TV show "Controcampo" 4/18/2007)

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• I'll remain forever in Rome, I can't see me with a different jersey.

• Shut up! They are four, go home!
  • Totti to Tudor during Roma-Juventus 4-0 on 2/8/2004.

• I'm really happy that we have won because you can win the "Scudetto" only by beating the minor teams!
  • In an interview after the "Derby" Roma-Lazio 3-2 on 10/31/2007.

• I'll chip him.
  • Totti to his teammates Maldini e Di Biagio before his penalty against Netherlands in Euro 2000 semifinals.

About Francesco Totti

From football legends

• Pelé: "Totti is the best player in the world. He has just been a little unlucky in the past."

• Diego Maradona: "Totti is the world's number one.""He is a great player and he will keep on showing that. He represents Italian soccer and the Italian fans will have fun with him."

• Michel Platini: "Totti is an artist of football, a true Number 10, just like I was." "If I was playing today I'd be like Totti, who's become an out-and-out striker. There aren't any Number 10s in the old playmaker role anyway."

• Franz Beckenbauer: "There are many star players in Italy, but the only one I would bring to Bayern Munich would be Totti. I know him well and he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or."

• Roberto Baggio: "I want to compliment Francesco Totti, scoring 206 goals is a great achievement. It does not matter that he has beat me as he is a great player." "He fought so hard and is now reaping the rewards. He always picked himself back up with pride and courage. Totti set an example with his achievements and his passion for this sport, proving you can push beyond your limits. He has the quality and ability to keep going and catch the next players in the all-time scorers’ charts. He is one of the last few real Number 10s and while he has the strength, he should keep playing."

• Giuseppe Giannini: "Francesco is Roma, a new group has to be built around him. Totti should be rewarded with an extension because he is not only a 'monument' to Roma but a quality player."

• Giuseppe Signori: "I have never doubted his ability and you can tell he is a real champion."

From trainers

• Marcello Lippi: "Totti is the monument of Italian football." "It is clear that Totti is one of the few players who doesn’t have a substitute because there is nobody around who plays like him." "There are no alternatives for Totti in Italy." "No one else could play Totti's position." "Totti has always been an amazing guy, humble both in dealing with the Coaches and teammates. He was impressed me by the determination that was put in every day." "He's a great man and a great player."

• Arrico Sacchi: "For me, he is one of the greatest players I have ever seen."

• Fabio Capello: "Only Gigi Riva could kick the ball like him in Italy. But only with his left foot. Totti can use both feet and can hit the ball in several ways. Such champions can shoot ten times per match and eight of them are aimed on target, while five are very dangerous and can turn into a goal. Totti's shooting qualities are unique and they will stay intact for life."

• Giovanni Trapattoni: "Every player has some genius, but there's only one Van Gogh, and there is nobody like Totti." "Totti can transform a side. There are very few players who have that capability." "He reminds me of Eusébio, as quick mentally as he is physically." "If I was still playing football today, then I would have real problems marking Totti, a bit like I struggled to control Pelé in the past. He has those same characteristics."

• Jose Mourinho: "You know more than me what Totti means for Roma, for the Serie A, and for his team-mates. I want him to play because he's the best player in the Italian championship in terms of spectacle and quality of play."

• Alex Ferguson: "Of course I know Totti is the fantastic player." "Totti is the symbol of Roma, he’d never want to leave the club just like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes at Manchester United. He needs to be kept at a certain level for Roma, just as I do at United." "Totti is the architect of everything they (Roma) do and we have to decide how best to deal with him. The issue is what we do with our centre-backs and whether we push one on to Totti but we can't let him control the game. It's a tricky one but we have to resolve it as best we can."

• Arsene Wenger: "Totti is a top, top class player. He is typical of the Roman game and I’m sure he will never move outside of Roma. He used to play in behind the strikers and then one day they had no central striker so they played him up front and won game after game. He suddenly became the topscorer in Italy as a central striker. That means this guy has absolutely everything. He has a fantastic protection of the ball, he has a quick turn and then he has a very good pass in the final third of the pitch. He can be deadly with every single pass. He will certainly be the most dangerous provider in the final third for them in this game. He is not the only player who can be dangerous but he can open the defence with any pass at any moment of the day if you give him the freedom."

• Luciano Spalletti: "I agree with Pelé, Totti is the best player in the world." "Totti is the history of Roma, the club, and I think that he is an intelligent man. Totti will stay and will close his career with Roma because he cares about the future of club and created a contract that sees him as the player the club will build it's image around. I do not see why he should leave Roma" "It would be easier to move the Colosseum out of Rome."

• Claudio Ranieri: "Totti is Totti, he is the greatest Italian player and our captain. We will keep him tight. He comes before everything." "Francesco is a real champion, a professional, a lad with a heart of gold and he is Roma's captain." "He is the best player with whom I have ever worked. He could have won several Ballons d'Or had he left Roma for Barcelona or Manchester United. I have also worked with Frank Lampard and Alessandro Del Piero, but Francesco is the better player." "He is a formidable player and I can assure you it’s not true that he destroys Coaches." "He is fantastic and to this club, he is as important as the Colosseum is to Rome."

• Carlo Ancelotti: "Totti is a great player who gave so much for Roma and still can give. He is the player who managed the best, especially from the physical point of view, he can remain a very important player to the team." "Francesco remains the undisputed symbol of Roma."

• Carlo Mazzone: "Totti? Simply fantastic. I think he is the greatest Roma player of all-time." "I am privileged because I had the luck of seeing Totti’s first goal in Serie A as well as the fantastic culmination of Baggio’s career. If I had been able to coach both of them together in the same team I would have won a lot and certainly wouldn’t have lost all my hair. I’d like it a lot if we could all have dinner together and remember their goals."

• Cesare Prandelli: "Totti is a great champion." "He and Roberto Baggio are two great players and it is hard to compare the two."

• Zdenek Zeman: "Who are the best five Italian players? Totti, Totti, Totti, Totti, Totti." "Francesco is eclectic and can play wherever. He has carried Roma on his back for 15 years." "He is the only champion of Italian football."

• Laurent Blanc: "Totti is more than a simple player for Roma. He is outstanding, the team's real standard bearer." "With Totti on the field, he brings something special to Roma. He is not just a great player, but also their Colosseum."

• Siniša Mihajlović: "Totti is a great champion, one of the best players Italy has ever produced, he deserves everything he has earned in the game."

• Pierpaolo Bisoli: "Totti is Totti, a symbol of Italian football."

• Leonardo: "Totti is a great player and when he is not there, Roma lose an important resource."

• Luiz Felipe Scolari: "Totti is a fantastic player, when you lose a player like him is like losing more than one."

• Luis Enrique: "He is not only the King of Rome, but of the world. He is unique and it’s a pleasure to have players like Totti in the side." "I had the chance to play against Totti. I really like him, I’m really happy that I have the chance to be his Coach." "Francesco is the best player in the history of Roma."

• Eusebio Di Francesco: "Totti has great football intelligence, experience and seems to have four eyes to spot all potential passes." "Francesco has always been the added value for Roma. I am proud to still have an extraordinary rapport with him and every Christmas we exchange gifts."

From club presidents and directors

• Rosella Sensi: "Totti is the greatest player ever to wear Roma jersey." "Francesco and I grew up together and he is like a little brother to me, My father (Franco Sensi) used to say that he was the son he never had. No-one embodies the spirit of our team better than he does"

• Thomas R. DiBenedetto: "Totti is the greatest player Roma have ever had. Perhaps, the best player Italy have ever had. He is a winner and we want to win."

• Massimo Moratti: "Totti, the greatest!"

• Silvio Berlusconi: "Totti is part of Italy's heritage, in a footballing sense."

• Adriano Galliani: "In my opinion he is the most complete player in Italy, followed by De Rossi and Pirlo."

• Florentino Pérez: "I spent a lot of money in my life to build a powerful team like Real Madrid, but my desire, I always liked the captain of Roma, Francesco Totti. Unfortunately, it was impossible to reach him because Totti always want to remain with his club and his city." "It is very difficult for players like him to leave their clubs."

• Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: "Totti is a great positive example, I don't believe his decision [to stay at Roma] was a comfortable one. He hasn't lost anything, staying at the same club for his entire career. He has also won things, but above all he has received the continuous love of the fans in exchange. His behaviour today is no longer normal. Someone like Totti must be praised. There are few like him."

• Walter Sabatini: "Totti will be at the centre of the club project. Roma will be modelled around him. Totti is timeless, he’s like the light over the rooftops of Rome. The light still goes on, spreads. He had been painted as tired and lame, but he goes on the pitch and weakens the opposition. He is the captain and will make an important contribution to building the future of this club"

From players in his generation

• Alessandro Del Piero: "Above all on the eve of a match like this one, when on the other side, wearing a captain band on his arm, there’s a player like Francesco Totti. If we put together our goals scored, it's over 500. If we sum up the years of career, wearing the same shirt – it comes up to 35. We won the World Cup together and those memories unite us forever" "We have a great relationship with plenty of admiration on both sides even if we don't call each other up. Francesco is great."

• Luca Toni: "When he's in form, Francesco is the best player in the world at his position."

• Vincent Candela: "Totti is a patron of football, an absolute champion on and off the field. Francesco has only played as a centre forward for four or five years. He was a great Number 10 and playmaker, but now is a pure striker"

• Juninho Pernumbucano: "Totti is a great player, one of the last Number 10s remaining in football. The way to play football today has pushed out real Number 10s who make the show. I have a lot of admiration for him, I think he is the best Number 10."

• Raúl González: "I would have been honoured to play alongside Totti, as he is one of the best players in history. Any club would’ve been happy to have him in their squad." "He is a player who can turn a match and who plays good football."

• Roberto Carlos: "Totti is a 'galactico', He is one of the best players in the world."

• Wesley Sneijder: "Totti is a legend. He is the symbol of the Giallorossi. Even in Holland, when you talk about Roma, the first name to come up is Totti's. He is considered an extraordinary champion all over the world."

• Philipp Lahm: "He is still a great player, He can shoot with either foot and can resolve a game in an instant, even with just a free-kick."

• Javier Pastore: "When I was young I used to watch Italian football matches and my wish was to one day become like Totti."

• Daniele De Rossi: "Totti is a treasure for Roma, He is the greatest player of all time after Baggio." "He always left me free to choose. He never gave me much pressure. For me he was important proof of a man who is serene and happy at Roma. Francesco is untouchable." "It will be impossible to reach his record. He's loved by all, and is decisive on the pitch. I have great desire to show this as well."

• Philippe Mexès: "Apart from his indisputable ability as a player, Francesco is a stupendous person. I grew up a lot alongside him and De Rossi. Totti, for me, is an idol. If it wasn’t for him then I wouldn’t be here today. I’m honoured to have known him. Totti is not a problem for Coaches, but for defences."

• John Arne Riise: "I have played with many great footballers in my career and two of them are Gerrard and Totti. Both a great players, loyal and pleasant."

• Rodrigo Taddei: "Totti is a champion, he is untouchable. He can play for many years to come at Roma. It is right to have a mix between younger players and those with experience."

• Gianluca Comotto: "Except for Francesco Totti, I don’t see any club symbols or any standard bearers in this country. He made a choice to reject all other teams even if they offer more money."

• Fernando Gago: "Totti is very important, on and off the pitch, for what he has won and for his charisma. He’s an example for everyone to follow, for the young players and for players like me who have arrived from abroad. The fact that he has played his football here for so long is proof of that. It’s always nice to watch him train."

• Bojan Krkić: "Totti has impressed me most about Roma. He has been, and remains, a very important player, who has spent many years here. The other day he explained that he joined the club in 1989 and is now 35 - he arrived before I was born!"

• Miralem Pjanić: "Totti is an exceptional teacher, as it’s incredible to be training and playing with him. He is a leader, which I knew, but also different to the others. His football is joy."

• Erik Lamela: "You learn a lot from Totti. He is a player that is part of the club’s history, an idol of the fans. Not mentioning the Argentines, Totti is the player who gives me the most advice. He is one of those who I talk to most. There are no problems with the language, we understand each other."

• Adrian Mutu: "Roma are a great side and Francesco Totti, who called to convince me to join, is a great player who I have always admired."

• Pablo Osvaldo: "Francesco is unique. He’s not only a phenomenon, he’s actually the best Italian player of all time."