Totti: "My successor? He hasn't been born yet"
Octavian, Tiberius, Nero, or Caesar – Rome has produced many great personalities, but in football terms, there is only one prince of Rome: Francesco Totti. He recently gave a humorous interview.
Doesn't wear the jersey too often anymore: Francesco Totti. IMAGO/NurPhoto
Francesco Totti is already 48 years old, having hung up his professional career years ago. This hasn't diminished his popularity in Rome; wherever the living legend Totti shows up, all eyes are on him. And the Roman is also aware of his status. "When you're called a legend, it means you've achieved something important and significant. You become a legend when you've already completed your career in football," Totti said on the sidelines of an event in Rome, reports Retesport.
The popular man also spoke about his career, which he spent entirely at AS Roma – a real rarity even in his time. "I wanted to fulfill my dream of wearing the Roma jersey and staying there for my entire career," revealed Totti, adding: "Given what I've achieved in my career, I'm happy that people see me that way. When people see you a certain way, it means you've accomplished something important." But when asked whether there was a sporting heir, he replied succinctly: "My successor? He hasn't been born yet."
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But what would Totti have become if he hadn't chosen the football path? "I would have become a gas station attendant; I like the smell of gasoline," he joked, revealing that he would have tried tennis if football hadn't worked out. Incidentally, Totti associates the white sport with a very special, exceptional player, whom he also calls an idol. "Roger Federer is tennis, just as Diego Maradona is football." Totti is often compared to the Argentinian, but he objects, saying: "No one can be compared to him. The round ball is Maradona; I don't want to be compared to him."
But Totti is also familiar with hero worship, revealing the craziest thing that ever happened to him from a fan. "The strangest thing was that a fan stopped to kiss my shoes and feet," said the Roma legend, who is probably still amazed: "You laugh about it because you don't believe a person would do something like that."
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