Totti: “Friedkins have other plans, but if Roma need me…”

Francesco Totti presented his new book, “Oltre.” Vincent Candela, Max Biagi, Noemi Bocchi, his children, and Gian Piero Gasperini were present to witness the event.

“Over these 50 years, I have given and received so much love, especially from my family, my children, and the people. It was a simple, beautiful, transparent give and take. I think this is the most important thing for me. I was doing a job I’ve always wanted, a passion of mine, and something I enjoy,” he said from the stage of the Teatro Brancaccio.

The former Roma captain continued: “I’ve always tried to give and convey what I felt when I played football. For me, this was true love; it’s not easy to transform what you think. In those moments, I was sure of myself, and I hope that the love I had inside reached people.”

Then Francesco returned to his farewell to football: “I’m dead, from a certain point of view. It was a forced moment, a forced farewell. One that I didn’t want and didn’t feel. I knew that sooner or later it had to happen, because everything has a beginning and an end. But for me it was painful in this case, different from how I had thought. In the end, I think it’s the norm in a job like football, where when you’re useful, you’re useful and when you’re not useful, you’re no longer useful. It’s a wrong way of thinking, but unfortunately it’s the truth.”

After hanging up his boots he was ‘scared’: “I miss those 2-3 things I was used to doing every day. If you take the ground from under us, we start to wobble. Since it wasn’t my will, but it was all in a rush and suddenly, seeing as I was the last to know about it, I reluctantly accepted. I accepted the management’s decision and, as I said, ‘I’m scared’. I didn’t know what I would find by turning the page, what I wanted. I’m a very sensitive person, quite often I withdraw into myself and don’t express myself. A quality, a flaw, I don’t know. At the same time, I went over all 25 years thinking about the good and bad things, if I had made mistakes with certain people lately. I couldn’t understand what was happening, I felt lost. ‘Dead’ is a heavy word, but when a 25-year journey and such an important history with a single shirt ends… I said ‘I’m scared'”.

During the evening, Gian Piero Gasperini also spoke via video call, receiving a prolonged round of applause from those in attendance. Totti was the first to speak, thanking the coach for bringing Roma back to the Champions League: “This is thanks to you, for giving us the chance to relive those magical nights that Roma deserves to see and play in. Roma deserves that stage, and thanks to you for bringing us back there.” Gasperini reciprocated the affection, returning to the match against Real Madrid: “The most beautiful spectacle the other night was the stadium. It was a great match, but seeing so much enthusiasm in this city was truly moving. I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight, but I wanted to be there somehow.”

Totti didn’t rule out attending the Olimpico for Roma vs. Slovan Bratislava: “Okay, if I find tickets, I’ll come.” Asked about the Giallorossi’s Scudetto ambitions, after the resounding “no” from the crowd, the number 10 preferred to temper his enthusiasm: “Let’s focus on tomorrow.”

A reference to the future and the possibility of seeing Totti back at Roma was also inevitable, a return that has been talked about for years but has never materialized. The former captain made no secret of his differences with the owners: “Usually, when you meet, it’s a two-way meeting, not a one-on-one. In seven or eight years, it’s never happened. You can see that the other side doesn’t have the same thoughts, the same ideas. They have different ideas about life, thought, and work. But that’s the way it should be, I’m happy to accept it. Either we do things together, or we don’t do them at all. If the other side isn’t willing or doesn’t have the same thoughts as me, let’s stop here. We don’t have to go ‘any further,’ it seems like the right thing to do.” A door that, at least for now, remains closed, without however damaging the bond with the Giallorossi colors. Totti concluded with a wish for the owners and a promise of love for his Roma: “I hope the Friedkins go as far as possible. I’m behind the scenes, but I’m always there for Roma.”