Francesco Totti admits he ‘would rather have died’ than announce he was leaving Roma, but explains why it was impossible to remain as ‘a mascot’ who ‘couldn’t express his opinion.’
The legend spent his entire playing career with the Giallorossi, coming up through their academy and becoming captain, top scorer, the player with the most competitive appearances.
When it was all over and he had to hang up his boots, the next natural step was to join the club as part of the directorial staff, but that only lasted two years and in the summer of 2019 he held an emotional press conference announcing his departure.
“It was not easy to leave Roma, but I had been thinking about it for months,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“I had no credibility, I was not part of the project, I was just their Totti mascot. It wasn’t enough. I realised that I was in the way, because I was not allowed to express my opinion.
“I didn’t think that I was a resource for them. Perhaps I wasn’t ready or they didn’t want to give me a seat at the table, but when there was a problem, I was ready to intervene.
“I would rather have died than announce I was leaving Roma. I never thought I would leave this place of my own free will, as this was my family.”
Totti also commented on the moment he retired as a player in 2017, which he freely admits was not what he wanted to do.
“You are never ready for a day like that, but there has to be a beginning and an end to everything. The faces of the people, from the children to those you watched grow up, they all touch you. The fans gave me strength to keep going.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after saying goodbye to football. Now I hope to find something else that gives me excitement and happiness.”
There have been reports that Totti could still be welcomed back to Roma by the new owners, the Friedkin family, and work with coach Jose Mourinho.