2001 Serie A.. Champions (AS Roma) 2000 European Championship Finals (Italy) 2003 Italian Cup Finals (AS Roma) 2005 Italian Cup Finals (AS Roma)
Biography
Francesco Totti (born 27 September 1976 in Rome) is an Italian
football player, who currently plays for AS Roma in Serie A and
the Italian national team. A creator as well as a scorer of
goals - not least from free kicks - Francesco Totti can operate
from a variety of attacking positions but it is in the free role
behind the strikers that his skill and technique are best
showcased. He is widely regarded as one of the finest players in
the modern game.
Hugely talented as a teenager, Totti scored in Italy's 4-1
defeat by Spain in the final of the UEFA European Under-18
Championship in July 1995. In the final of the Under-21
competition in 1996, Totti opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw
against the Spanish before triumphing on penalties.
Totti made his senior Azzurri debut in the Euro 2000 qualifying
victory against Switzerland on 10 October 1998. He played in the
finals tournament and scored against Romania and Belgium and
played in the finals, losing to France. Although he was on the
losing side, Totti was named Man of the Match in the final. Also
in this tournament, the world saw one of the best penalty kicks
ever taken. In the semi-final against the Netherlands, the game
went to a shootout. With Italy scoring their first two, and the
Netherlands missing their first two, Totti stepped up to take
Italy's third kick. With a stadium full of the Netherlands
supporters silent, Totti stepped up and cheekily chipped the
ball into the right-hand side of the net, while a helpless Edwin
van der Sar dove to the left.
More disappointment followed at the 2002 World Cup, with Totti
failing to make a significant impact and then being sent off as
Italy controversially lost to the South Korea in the second
round, when he received a dubious second yellow card for alleged
penalty area diving by the refree Byron Moreno.
At Euro 2004, Totti garnered negative media attention when he
spat at Christian Poulsen, a midfielder for Denmark who had
sledged him for the whole match. Known to wind up opponents -
especially Italian players - Poulsen did not receive much
sympathy from Italian quarters. Totti was subsequently banned
until the semi-finals, but did not play in the tournament again,
as Italy failed to qualify for the next round.
Decal of Francesco Totti, on the wall of a house in Rione Monti,
in Rome. It celebrates 2000-01 scudetto won by Totti's club, AS
Roma.Totti was just 16 when he made his first appearance for AS
Roma in a 2-0 away victory at Brescia on March 28, 1993. He
scored four goals in 21 outings in 1994/95 and over the ensuing
seasons became a team regular. He was named Italy's Player of
the Year in 2000 and in 2003. The following season (2000/1) he
helped AS Roma secure their first league title since 1983,
having scored 13 Serie A goals. In the 2001/02 campaign Roma
finished runners-up to Juventus, but Totti returned with a
personal-best of 14 goals during the 2002/3 season.
2003/04: Playing in a more advanced role, Totti hit a career-high
20 goals as Roma finished second in Serie A behind A.C. Milan,
many considered Roma as the better team in that season, and had
the best football style.
2004/05: A very disappointing season. Although the only bright
side was to finish second in the Italian Cup and qualify for the
UEFA Cup, this season had Roma to replace 4 coaches starting
with the departure of Fabio Capello and the resignation of Rudi
Voller and Luigi Del Neri and an emergency call up for Bruno
Conti. And with Roma almost being relegated, nevertheless Totti
scored 12 goals.
Totti is married to Ilary Blasi, a former model, considered one
of the most beautiful celebrities in Italy, who currently works
as annoucer and host on several RAI TV shows. The couple had
their first baby, named Christian, on early 2006. Totti, who
always loved kids, hoped that his first baby would be a boy, so
as to continue his legacy, as he said.
Totti also runs a Football school, named Number Ten, and has his
own Motor bikes team called "Totti Top Sport".
His best friend is his brother, Riccardo. However, Totti always
says that his brother was the better player when they were kids,
but he was unlucky on his way. Riccardo now is Totti's agent.
Totti has had many hardships with people during his sporting
career. One of those people is Lazio's captain Paolo Di Canio,
who exploits the age-old rivalry between Lazio and Roma and
always insults Totti, and their "Derby" match twice every season
is well-known around the world for its tough play, which
normally includes fights between the fans and the players
themselves!
He also had a bad relationship with his previous coach Fabio
Capello, who is currently coach of Juventus F.C., a heavy rival
team of AS Roma. Totti accused Capello of being a traitor for
leaving Roma suddenly without a warning, and left the Roman team
in a very bad shape which had them almost relegated to the
second division in 2004-2005 season. He even called him once an
"un-true man", while praised his current coach Luciano Spalletti
defining him "a real man", and pointing that he will never play
for Fabio Capello again. This famous problem started on
Capello's last days with Roma: according to Totti, his behaviour
to most of the players changed, and once advised the younger
players not take Totti as their role model player, but to take
Brazilian Emerson as an idol for his hard work. Several months
later, Capello, Emerson and Frenchmen Jonathan Zebina all left
AS Roma for rivals Juventus suddenly. As of today, Totti and the
Roma fans still treat those three men as traitors who left the
club.
A goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, Totti allowed two books to be
published containing jokes made at his expense to raise money
for the children's charity. He was named by Pelé as one of the
top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Totti's idol player in his childhood was Roma's ex-captain
Giuseppe Giannini, who he considers as his elder brother: he
always wished to just shake hands with Giannini, and was one of
his biggest fans. Several years after, Totti himself had the
opportunity to play alongside Giannini on the pitch with the AS
Roma jersey.
Totti is famous for his chip shots, called in Italian il
cucchiaio (in english, "spoon"). He has scored many beautiful
goals using this technique. His famous early goals using this
technique was in a shoot-out vs. Holland in the Euro 2000 semi-final
when he scored on Netherland's keeper Edwin van der Sar, he also
scored a second famous one 2 years later against Lazio in the
derby, which ended 5-1 to the Romans at the time they played
their best football.
Often referred to as a "dumb Roman", Totti released a book of
jokes about himself, with the proceeds going to charity. The
book was a hit and a bestseller for many months.
Totti criticised former teammate Antonio Cassano who recently
departed to Real Madrid for failing to leave without even saying
goodbye. Antonio Cassano was also vice captain at AS Roma up
until a few months before his departure.
On December 2005, Totti annouced that he is 90% sure to retire
from international football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup in
Germany, explaining that he wants to focus more on AS Roma.
On 19 February 2006, while playing in the Italian Championship
against Empoli F.C., he suffered a leg injury fracturing his
left fibula and severing the interconnecting ligaments with the
malleolus. He was operated the same night by Prof. Mariani, a
renowned Italian orthopedic surgeon. There is fear he might have
to skip the Football World Championship 2006 in Germany, althogh
fears that he may be left out if fit just before the world cup
have been quashed by the Italian coach, who has been quoted as
saying he hopes he can pick Totti.
