Roma Review of 2016 Part 4: Totti’s renaissance

In the fourth installment of an exclusive 17-part series, asroma.com relives the magical Francesco Totti moments that helped propel Roma’s season...

Antonio Rudiger, Roma defender: “For me, it’s mad the impact Totti made last season. Francesco is an example and an idol for all of us. I remember the game when he came in against Atalanta. We were 3-2 behind and he came on and scored the equaliser. It was a moment where we all felt very happy for him.”

John Solano, Roma fan: “In January, it looked like Champions League qualification was a distant memory for us and that maybe we were fighting for the Europa League. With those points that Totti saved towards the end of the season, it was absolutely pivotal to us finishing third.”

Jim Pallotta, Roma President: “It showed that he can obviously still play a significant role and those were very important games for us to get back into a position to qualify for the Champions League.”

Umberto Gandini, Roma CEO: “It was a fantastic story. I was watching it happen from Milan and Totti is very much like the outstanding personalities in the historic AC Milan side who only played for AC Milan, like Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. It was fantastic the impact Totti had on the Roma team towards the end of the season. Totti does not just represent Roma, but Italian football as a whole. This was proven on his 40th birthday, with the reaction on social media throughout the world.

“He is a fantastic athlete. He is working very hard to keep up the pace with the speed and the strength of today’s game. He can’t obviously be at the same level that he used to be, but in very critical circumstances, he can be absolutely decisive. The first game I witnessed as CEO of Roma was Roma-Sampdoria. Totti came in in the second half and we won 3-2 on his penalty in the 93rd minute. That was amazing to witness.”

John Solano: “[The goal against Atalanta and subsequent interventions] came on the heels of him speaking out publicly in an interview, which certainly caused a stir and had people questioning his future role at the club or if it was time to hang the boots up. But you can’t disregard or dismiss his ability: he’s one of the greatest Italian footballers - if not one of the greatest footballers - we have ever seen.”

Wayne Girard, Roma fan: “I want to say it was a surprise and maybe it was to people who didn’t grow up watching Roma but to me, it was almost like I expected it. Not that I expected it 100%, but I could see it coming. I know that he could use his brain and quality. No matter that he can’t run like he used to, his mind is running circles around the others in the league. It’s incomparable.

"There was a game I watched earlier in the season where Totti, who entered maybe in the 60th or 70th minute, made the best pass of the game with his first touch. When he’s on the pitch it just opens everything up. It’s so direct, and more importantly, the players revolve around him. That takes the pressure off of them and he opens them up. Surprised? No. Glad? Yes, very, and super excited for Totti to see that he was still making the difference. But not surprised. The only people who would be surprised would be those who are not familiar with him or those who hate on him.”

“It’s like a fairytale. It’s very unique - 25 years at the same club.”

- Umberto Gandini

Wayne Girard: “We look back on those moments, like when he came on as a substitute against Torino, and those are our trophies: those memorable experiences, maybe not the physical silverware, but those little moments that we remember which almost eclipse any other thoughts. We look back on that and say, ‘That was incredible.’

"We don’t think, ‘It’s too bad they couldn’t have won the Scudetto last year.’ At least I personally don’t think like that. It’s more about ‘Wow. That actually happened and Totti did that again. What a moment,’ and that is what becomes imprinted in my mind as a fan. And that’s what I remember most.”

John Solano: “Obviously with age, people are going to start questioning his ability and role, but if he’s given that super-sub role of 20 or 30 minutes off the bench, I still believe, and obviously he proved, that he can have a role under Spalletti at the club.”

Antonio Rudiger: “That crazy match against Torino, when he came in and scored two goals with two touches. It’s incredible, just incredible.”

“Most of the times in those games I would just be shaking my head and laughing to myself at the end of a game more than anything else.”

- Jim Pallotta

Wayne Girard: “When he came on against Torino, you have excitement and hope. That’s the initial feeling. When other players come on, it’s just a substitution. You say, ‘Spalletti is going more offensive now,’ or ‘He’s going more defensive now.’ But with Totti, it’s a different feeling. It’s almost like, ‘What’s he going to do? What’s going to happen? Wait for this, everybody watch. Don’t move from the TV now.’ When the first goal hits, you’re thinking, ‘Yes. Capitano is back, he’s doing it,’ but then when the penalty kick comes, you think, ‘I have some fear almost. Totti is human.’

"We don’t treat him as a human, but I hope this isn’t the moment that people look back on his legacy and say, ‘Totti is falling off.’ And he defies the odds, he always does. He rises to the occasion. Even though Roma doesn’t go on to win the Scudetto, he’s like the fatal hero who sacrifices himself for the greater good. That’s something Totti has done his entire career: sacrifice himself for his city.

"Are there any other true heroes in football in that sense? If there are, he’s still the top example. Sure, he got his paycheck, but that’s not comparable to the moments, trophies, successes, titles and awards he could have won elsewhere. You can’t ever forget that sacrifice.”

John Solano: “Sometimes you can tell in a match, throughout the first-half and even into the second-half that it just isn’t happening. The team will pass it around trying to get into the final third and then there’s just this little disconnect that we are missing that final bit to actually get a goal or an attempt on goal.

"That’s what Totti brings, and that’s what he brought in that match against Torino. Midfield to attack was completely disjointed, but when you throw Totti on, he helps reconnect what was being lost throughout the match. Obviously, when he came on, he completely turned it around. Roma were playing faster and more incisive. For him to get those goals and get the points for Roma was just incredible.”

Jim Pallotta: “I wouldn’t say the new contract was a reward for those performances. We had discussed privately a number of times during the year that we should have a conversation at the end of the year to see how he feels. While a lot of people in the media or other places spent the year wondering why we are not doing this or that, to me, it just wasn’t anybody else’s business.

"It was between Francesco and myself, and as a team, we were not going to get into a public discussion of our business. It just doesn’t make any sense to do that. It wasn’t a reward, it was more that he felt like he could play and we felt like he could contribute after having conversations with him and the coaches.”

Antonio Rudiger: “The experience he has means he just has the right feeling for where to be at these big moments. Of course, last season when we almost reached second place, he was a crucial player in that run. Compliments to the whole team though because they made it so close, but his interventions helped set up that game against Napoli where we won. All I can say to him is, ‘Respect’. I respect his legacy and it’s a big honour to play with a player like him.”