Totti turns 50: his career from A to Z

Here we’ve prepared an alphabet dedicated to the number 10, born in Rome on 27 September 1976.

A – Aalst: the team who conceded Francesco Totti’s first European goal, scored on 17 October 1995, at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma ended up beating Aalst 4-0, in what was a UEFA Cup Round of 32 match.

B – Brescia: the team against whom Totti made his league debut on 28 March 1993. Roma ran out 2-0 winners at the Stadio Rigamonti. Wearing the number 14 shirt, the young blond starlet came on to replace Ruggiero Rizzitelli, an auspicious decision by coach Vujadin Boskov. “When the boss told me to warm up, I thought he was talking to [Roberto] Muzzi, who was sitting next to me. But he was actually speaking to me.”

C – Cesena: the opponent against whom Totti scored the final goal of his career. It came in a Coppa Italia quarter-final on 1 February 2017. He converted a penalty, beating goalkeeper Federico Agliardi and sending Roma through to the semi-finals.

D – Derby: Totti is the all-time top scorer in the Rome derby. Our former captain netted 11 times in total against the Biancocelesti. His goal celebrations often featured special T-shirts, and the “Vi ho purgato ancora” [I’ve punished you again] message remains etched in the memories of Roma fans to this day.

E – Euro 2000: the international tournament that introduced the talent and class of the Giallorossi playmaker to the wider world. Wearing the number 20 jersey, Totti propelled Dino Zoff’s Azzurri to the final, starring with goals and world-class performances. In the showdown against France, he was named Man of the Match despite Italy falling to a cruel defeat. The Italians had led for most of the game before being pegged back by Sylvain Wiltord in stoppage time. David Trezeguet then went on to score the Golden Goal winner for the French winner in extra time.

F – Fortitudo Luditor: Francesco’s first team was an historic club from the San Giovanni, his native neighbourhood. It was here that Totti began to show glimpses of his talent, from as early as the age of seven.

G – Goal: He scored 307 goals wearing a single jersey, the ‘Giallorossa’ of Roma. His first came against Foggia in the league in 1994, and his last against Cesena in the Coppa Italia in 2017, bookending his long-lasting love affair with the club.

H – Hannover: The German city where Totti made his first appearance in the 2006 World Cup. Marcello Lippi fielded the superstar in the starting line-up for the opening match against Ghana on 12 June 2006. The Azzurri defeated their opponents 2–0, with goals from Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta. It was the first victory of a World Cup campaign that would end in glory for both the Azzurri and Francesco.

I – Injury: A severe ankle injury sustained on 19 February  2006, during a match against Empoli, threatened to jeopardise Totti’s participation in the 2006 World Cup. However, his determination to recover in record time - aided by fitness coaches Silio Musa and Vito Scala - enabled him to play a starring role and become a world champion with Italy just a few months later. 

J – Julio Cesar: a Brazilian goalkeeper born in 1979. He was the man who conceded one of the finest goals of Totti’s career, a chip shot that capped off a surging run from midfield. Francesco beat the Brazilian with an unstoppable effort, helping Roma secure a 3–2 victory over Inter at San Siro, their first win at that ground in 20 years. “That goal in Milan was undoubtedly one of the best I’ve ever scored,” declared the number ten.

K – Kaiserslautern: the German city where Totti scored the decisive penalty against Australia in the Round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup. From the spot, Francesco beat Mark Schwarzer with an impeccable right-footed effort that found the top corner. It happened on 26 June 2006, at the Fritz Walter Stadion. The strike sent Italy through to the quarter-finals and paved the way to the final in Berlin. Marcelo Lippi’s (and Totti’s) Italy would go on to become world champions for the fourth time in history.

L – Walter Lapini: the first player to come on for Totti in a competitive match. On 16 December 1993, Francesco - having just turned seventeen - started in a Coppa Italia match against Sampdoria in the third round of the competition. Roma lost on penalties, but the youngster was commended for his performance. He received plenty of praise, including a resounding round of applause when coach Carlo Mazzone took him off. Another promising youngster, Walter Lapini, took his place. However, the talented Tuscan would fail to make a major breakthrough in the years that followed. 

M – Franco Mancini: the first goalkeeper beaten by Totti in Serie A, on 4 September 1994, in a match between Roma and Foggia that ended 1–1. It was Roma coach Carlo Mazzone who placed his trust in the young number 9 - Francesco was wearing the striker's jersey for that game - a show of faith that was fully repaid.

N – Gunnar Nordahl: the last goalscorer Totti surpassed in the all-time Serie A rankings. The Giallorossi forward remains in second place behind Silvio Piola, who sits on 250 goals.

O – Olimpico: the stadium that witnessed Totti’s exploits season after season, weekend after weekend. His first goal on the hallowed turf came on 21 August 1994, in a summer friendly against Spanish side Valencia. Roma won 1–0 thanks to a goal from Francesco, who was still yet to turn 18.

P – Parma: Totti scored the opening goal against Parma in the Scudetto-deciding match on 17 June 2001. The game ended 3–1 to the Giallorossi, with a major contribution from the number ten. Totti would later go on to declare it to be “the most important goal of my life.” Parma are also the team against which Totti scored the most goals in his career - 20 in total.

Q – Quim: a Portuguese goalkeeper, born in 1975. He was the first shot-stopper to be beaten by Totti while playing for the Italian national team. It happened on 26 April 2000, when the Azzurri defeated Portugal 2–0. The other goal that day was scored by Mark Iuliano.

R – Record: Totti holds the record for both appearances and goals in Giallorossi history: 786 matches and 307 goals. With Roma, he won one Scudetto (2001), two Coppa Italias (2007 and 2008) and two Italian Super Cups (2001 and 2007). Luciano Spalletti was the coach under whom he scored the most goals - 100 in total.

S – Vito Scala: a friend, “a brother,” even before being Roma’s fitness coach. “We grew up together in San Giovanni, came up through Roma’s youth academy together, and crossed paths once more in the first team,” Francesco said of him. 

T – Torino: 20 April 2016; Francesco came on the pitch just minutes before the end of a match between Roma and Torino. The Giallorossi were trailing 2–1, and a defeat would have dealt a significant blow to their race for third place. The captain’s impact was nothing short of supernatural: he touched the ball twice and scored two goals. The first came from a free-kick - scored with a stretching finish just seconds after coming on - and the second from a penalty won by Diego Perotti.

U – Udinese: the team against which Totti played his first match as Roma captain. 31 October 1998 was the very day the number ten wore the white captain's armband for the first time. He also scored a brace. A 2002 league match against Udinese was also the occasion in which the stadium chant "Un capitano, c'è solo un capitano" [One captain, there’s only one captain] was born.

V – Edwin van der Sar: Dutch goalkeeper. He was the man between the posts for the Netherlands in the Euro 2000 semi-final. Zoff’s Italy faced the Oranje - the tournament’s co-hosts - in a penalty shootout to decide a place in the final. Totti stepped up to the spot and stunned the world by executing an exquisite chip. It was a move that wrote headlines across the globe, making Francesco a household name everywhere. It was a kind of shot that would become his trademark. “I’m going to chip it,” Totti had mentioned to Luigi Di Biagio before stepping up. And chip it he did.

X – The Roman numeral for 10, the jersey number that defined his life. He also wore the number 20 in the 1995/96 season and the number 17 in the 1996/97 campaign during his time at Roma. 

Y – Yen: the first foreign currency he encountered during his football career. In the Japanese city of Kobe, Francesco scored his first goal in an international tournament. It was 22 August 1993 and, wearing the number 11 jersey for Italy’s U-17 side, Totti beat the Mexican goalkeeper with a powerful shot from outside the box. A very young Gianluigi Buffon ran from his goal to celebrate with him.

W – World Economic Forum: the event at which Pele described Totti as "the best player in the world." A prestigious endorsement and a moment he would never forget.

Z – Zdenek Zeman: the coach who, more than any other, developed Totti’s talent early in his career. He improved him both tactically and physically and handed him the captain's armband.