Nicolo Zaniolo has confessed that he ‘dreams’ of emulating Francesco Totti’s impact at Roma.
Totti was a one-club man for Roma, going on to make over 700 appearances at the Olimpico, and Zaniolo made it clear he had the No 10 in his sights.
“I think it’s going too far to compare me with Francesco,” continued the teenage midfielder in his interview with the club’s official website.
“It’s an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as him, but I’ve still not achieved anything.
Nicolo Zaniolo has confessed that he ‘dreams’ of emulating Francesco Totti’s impact at Roma.
Totti was a one-club man for Roma, going on to make over 700 appearances at the Olimpico, and Zaniolo made it clear he had the No 10 in his sights.
“I think it’s going too far to compare me with Francesco,” continued the teenage midfielder in his interview with the club’s official website.
“It’s an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as him, but I’ve still not achieved anything.
“Playing in the same team as [Daniele] De Rossi and [Alessandro] Florenzi, and looking at what Totti did, you realise just how close to this club and these fans you can be.
“It would be a dream for me to do the same. For now I’m just focused on training and playing my football.
“[Totti] was amazing. He could spot things two hours before anyone else – it was incredible. I’m quite shy and I feel awkward going up to him so I’ve never asked him anything directly but he’s often come over to me to give me pointers.
“I was talking to Daniele about what it’s like to win the World Cup just yesterday and it gave me goose bumps. They’re the sort of players I have to look to for inspiration.
“One day, perhaps, I hope to be able to experience that myself. But I’m not thinking about it yet.”
Zaniolo then discussed the influence of teammate Aleksandar Kolarov, Coach Eusebio Di Francesco and father Igor on his career.
“[Kolarov] is a great player and he’s highly experienced,” he added.
“He knows how football works and he knows that can happen to a youngster whose name is on everyone’s lips.
“If he saw me getting cocky, he would be absolutely right to bring me back down to earth. He’s someone we all look up to in the dressing room and on the pitch. He’s right.”
“Everywhere you turn there are great players here. I look to the most experienced players, the veterans – De Rossi, [Kostas] Manolas, Kolarov, [Edin] Dzeko. They’re the ones I try to take after.
“My dad says you can reach the top quickly but you can fall to the bottom even more quickly.
“He’s always telling me not to get big-headed, especially now. He also tells me to remember how I felt when Fiorentina got rid of me.
“I didn’t start pre-season training with the team because I was at the [U-19] Euros and I didn’t go on tour either.
“When I got back I was the ninth midfielder and one idea was for me to go out on loan. But the club and the Coach believed in me and I must thank them for that.
“I hope to keep on proving they were right to show faith in me. The Coach gives me advice every day about what I should do, both on and off the pitch. I’m really grateful to him for all the opportunities he’s giving me.”