Roma captain Francesco Totti recently scored his 300th goal for the club he has supported since childhood. The Giallorossi legend turns 39 on Sunday 27th September, Oscar La-Gambina takes a look back at the World Cup winning forward’s career to date and asks how much longer can he last?
On September 27 1976, a star was born.
Il Bimbo d’Oro, Il Re di Roma or Il Gladiatore. Whatever you want to call him, Francesco Totti is no doubt one of the best players to ever grace the Italian game.
Idolising a former Roma legend in Giuseppe Giannini, Totti made his first baby steps onto the footballing path aged eight, joining the youth team of local side Fortitudo Lutidor.
An attractive offer from bitter rivals AC Milan to join their Primavera team was rejected, before coach Gildo Giannini persuaded him to join the Roma youngsters after originally agreeing to move to even fiercer cross-city rivals Lazio.
He joined the Giallorossi youths in 1989 and has stayed loyal to them ever since.
One-club men are a rarity in football, but they are often some of the most remembered players in the game, with Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and now Totti amongst the famous names.
March 28 1993 is the first of many significant dates in his career: his first senior appearance for Roma.
Aged just 16, he came on in a 2-0 victory against Brescia with Vujadin Boskov being the first coach to give him a chance in the limelight.
In the same year, he helped the Italian Under-16 side to second place in the Under-16 European Championship and also appeared in the Under-17 World Championship.
He soon became a consistent starter for the Giallorossi, and scored 16 league goals between 1995 and 1998.
With his league status blossoming, so was his international reputation.
Between those same years, he had picked up a winner’s medal in the 1996 European Under-21 Championship before making his first senior appearance against Switzerland under Dino Zoff.
He kept growing and his skill kept improving and the 1998/99 Serie A season saw Totti named Serie A’s Young Footballer of the Year.
Despite the accolades, he wasn’t picked for the 1998 World Cup, but had already joined the elite group of players to wear the number 10 jersey for his club.
During the 1990s, he proved his ability to follow coach-at-the-time Zdenek Zeman’s orders, while having a role of high importance in the side.
He made an unbeatable partnership with the 4-3-3 formation and continued to flourish in this role for the club until the 2005/06 season.
By then, he had appeared in all three major international competitions for Italy and won a Serie A title with Roma.
The year 2005 saw a change, however. New Roma coach Luciano Spalletti rotated the side to a 4-2-3-1 formation, meaning Totti had to adapt to a new, more attacking position.
This was a test for his versatility, but he passed it perfectly.
Not only did he attack the opposing goal, but often dropped back to midfield to set up chances for other teammates, which later became described as the role of a false-9. Under this new role, Roma had an 11-game winning streak.
It was almost the start of a new life for Totti, with the 2006/07 season proving to be one of his best. After winning the World Cup with the Azzurri, he scored 26 league goals and won the Coppa Italia.
The first of many major landmarks for him was passed soon after, scoring his 200th club goal against Torino, before breaking the record for most league appearances ever for Roma just a month later.
He continues to break records today, most recently scoring his 300th career goal against Sassuolo on September 20 this year.
Critics say that as you grow older, you lose your spark as a player. This belief was slashed by Totti, when he scored the equaliser against Manchester City in the Champions League in September 2014, making him the oldest scorer ever in the competition at 38 years and three days old.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bejooAyZPp4[/youtube]
It will be a sad day once he retires from playing football altogether, but the past 20 to 30 years have given footballing fans around the world a fantastic spectacle to watch on the pitches across the globe.
Now, after transferring back to a traditional trequartista role under Rudi Garcia, what is there for Totti to look forward to in the future?
Just his presence gives the team a boost, although this season could be his last where he plays a major role in the side; his current contract ends next summer and, after appearing to show sadness after scoring that 300th goal, it might end there.
Never fear, though, Romanisti! Although nothing is confirmed, it is extremely likely that he will play a part in the club’s backroom staff, if not become their coach, after retirement.
As excellently put by former coach Spalletti, “it would be easier to move the Colosseum out of Rome.”
Tanti auguri, Francesco Totti!
