Francesco Totti

Lore & Background

Totti spent his entire club career at Roma, winning a Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. With Roma, he scored 307 goals and provided 205 assists across all club competitions; in Serie A history, he is the second-highest scorer of all time (250 goals) and the top assist-provider of all time. Totti is the top goalscorer and the most capped player in Roma's history, holds the record for the most goals scored in Serie A while playing for a single club, and also holds the record for the youngest club captain in the history of Serie A. During his career at Roma, Totti has been referred to as Er Bimbo de Oro (The Golden Boy), Er Pupone (The Big Baby), L'Ottavo Re di Roma (The Eighth King of Rome), L'Imperatore (The Emperor) and Er Capitano (The Captain) by the Italian sports media. In 2013, the New York Times described him as a 'Roman god in his game.' Totti experienced global success on the world stage winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup and appearing in the finals of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. Totti was selected in the All-Star team for both tournaments; he also represented his country at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. With the senior Italy national team, he scored 9 goals and provided 25 assists in 58 appearances. He is the top Italian assist-provider in FIFA World Cup history (6). In 2007 due to recurring physical problems, Totti announced his international retirement to focus solely on club play with Roma.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the Stadio Olimpico hummed to life on a humid June evening. Totti, in the pale blue of the Azzurri, stood at the edge of the box, the ball at his feet. The opposing defender shuffled, uncertain. Around the stadium, twenty-five thousand voices fell into a held breath. He took three touches, feinted left, then cut inside to the right with a swivel that seemed to slow the air itself. The shot curled just past the keeper's outstretched fingertips and kissed the underside of the net. For a moment, the noise was not a roar but a single, sustained exhale—the sound of a city recognising its own heartbeat in a player's feet. He did not celebrate wildly. He simply turned, walked back toward the centre circle, and let the blue shirt settle on his shoulders like something he had been wearing his whole life.

Reader's Guide

Totti won the 2007 European Golden Shoe and a record eleven awards from the Italian Footballers' Association: five Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year awards, two Serie A Footballer of the Year awards, two Serie A Goal of the Year awards, one Serie A Goalscorer of the Year award, and one Serie A Young Footballer of the Year award. He was also awarded the 2010 Golden Foot and was selected in the European Sports Media team of the season three times. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living players as selected by Pelé, as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In 2011, Totti was recognised by IFFHS as the most popular footballer in Europe. In 2015, France Football rated him as one of the ten-best footballers in the world who are over age 36. Following his retirement in 2017, Totti was awarded the Player's Career Award and the UEFA President's Award.

Did You Know?

• Totti is the youngest club captain in Serie A history, taking the armband at age 22.
• He is the top Italian assist-provider in FIFA World Cup history with 6 assists.
• Totti spent his entire club career at Roma, from youth team to retirement.