Francesco Totti has spoken about his decision to turn down a move to Real Madrid in the prime of his career, claiming that he might’ve won the Ballon d’Or had he accepted a move to join the Galacticos, and has also discussed his offers to return to Serie A football at the age of 48: ‘My heart and head said two different things’.
Totti: ‘I might’ve won a Ballon d’Or at Real Madrid’
The legendary former Roma captain spoke about his career with the Giallorossi and the offers he received to switch allegiances in an in-depth interview with the Corriere della Sera, published on Sunday.
Totti spent the entirety of his career with Roma, turning out for the club on 786 occasions across all competitions, including 250 goals from 619 outings in Serie A.
He has previously admitted that he was close to leaving Roma for Real Madrid in the summer of 2004, but ultimately decided to stay with his beloved Giallorossi. Speaking to the Corriere della Sera, Totti said that he isn’t overly regretful about his decision to stay with Roma, but says that he might’ve gained more recognition had he moved to Madrid.
“I’m not repentant about it, but there was a bit of regret. In 2004, they weren’t called the Galacticos for nothing, with Bechkam, Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo. I would have won everything there, maybe even the Ballon d’Or. But this is how it went. The supporters love me and I love them, and I still feel that way,” said Totti (via romanews.eu).
There is no questioning the bond that Totti has with the Roma supporters, though.
“Roma is my home, it was love at first sight,” he said.
“People on the street have always shown me their affection. I recognise that I’ve had an incredible story here. You [supporters] came with me, you always supported me from the Curva. As far as I’m concerned, all I can say is thank you. Sometimes I get nostalgic thinking about the pitch, I miss it all.”
Totti recently revealed in his autobiography that two years ago, when he was aged 48, he had offers to return to Serie A football from two clubs: Como and Genoa.
He says that he only decided to reject these offers because of his love for Roma, not because of his age or physical condition.
“If it were up to me, I would go out there on Saturday. But I know that can’t happen unfortunately.
“When I turned 48, I thought, what a great achievement, Genoa and Como [were interested]. Honestly, I thought about it. My heart and my head said two different things. I followed my heart and said no. I only wore one shirt my whole life and it had to stay that way.”