How soccer star Francesco Totti's famous selfie came to be

When AS Roma soccer icon Francesco Totti generated worldwide headlines after celebrating a crucial goal against rival Lazio on Sunday by grabbing a nearby iPhone and snapping a selfie from the pitch, it wasn't just a spontaneous moment that happened to become a minor sporting sensation.

Rather, the moment was the result of a spectacular score, a 38-year-old star eager to embrace digital media and a new owner's overall push to bring a storied Italian soccer club into the modern era.

Totti had come up with the idea for a special celebration should he score a goal in the city derby against local Serie A rival Lazio, according to Sean Foley, who runs the club's digital and social initiatives. From there, the plan was simple: Plant an iPhone 6 with goalkeepers coach Guido Nanni, who would be easy for Totti to find should he deliver a score.

And deliver Totti did. Totti's second goal of Sunday night equalized the match at 2-2 and came on a flying volley.

Foley told Mashable on Monday the goal celebration was Totti's idea, but manifested through a "coordinated effort" between the player, the club's digital operatives and — of course — goalkeepers coach Nanni, who held the crucial job of delivering Totti the phone. But the spirit of the celebration was born in 2012, when an American named James Pallotta became AS Roma's president after buying the club.

Chief among Pallotta's immediate priorities: Making AS Roma more effective and nimble in a world where soccer fans increasingly interact with and read about their favorite teams and players online.

"Unless you get into the 21st century in terms of a stadium, social media, branding, sponsorships, all that type of stuff, you're never going to compete at those top levels. You're just not," Pallotta told Sports Illustrated in 2013. "It's just a fact of life in sports."

That's included an increased focus on social media, more bonus content for fans and a closer integration of the club's media operations with its players and coaches, Foley told Mashable. But none of those efforts have generated as much attention to date as Totti's selfie on Sunday, which featured joyous Roma fans in the background.

That the moment to come from Totti, an Italian soccer icon and hardly a member of the so-called digital generation, gave it added significance for Foley and others around the club. The goal was Totti's 11th career score in the city derby, tying him for the all-time record in Roma and Lazio's heated rivalry.

Foley called the the moment "Mr. Pallotta's vision coming to life with the most storied player in the history of the club." Although, he was quick to add that it's moments on the pitch that make stunts like Totti's selfie work in the first place.

"None of this would have happened if Totti doesn't bicycle kick an amazing goal at age 38 to tie the match against Roma's biggest rival in Italy," he said.

Totti isn't the first to pull such a stunt, however. Dom Dywer of Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City snapped a selfie to celebrate a goal in July. But while Dwyer received a yellow card for his move, Totti went unpunished by officials.

This article originally appeared on Mashable's website.