Totti unforgiving: Spalletti joined Roma in 2016 to end my career | OneFootball

Time passes, but Francesco Totti does not change his mind. Years after his farewell to football, the former Roma captain returns to talk about the relationship never mended with Luciano Spalletti, former Napoli coach and national team manager, despite the smiles during the retreats at Coverciano a couple of years ago.

Totti does not forgive Luciano Spalletti: “In 2016 he came to Roma to make me quit”

During an episode of Prime Sport, Totti retraced the moments that marked the end of his career with Roma, revealing new behind-the-scenes details about the difficult relationship with the Tuscan coach.

Totti: “The farewell to Roma? More disappointed by the club than by Spalletti”

“Spalletti returned to make me quit”

“Spalletti came to Roma in 2016 to make me quit, supported by the club. With him, there were always problems: he was a completely different Spalletti from the one in 2005,” Totti recounted, clarifying the internal dynamics of those years.

“He might think that I made him leave in 2009 when Ranieri arrived, but it's not true. The club called me and other players to ask who we wanted between Mancini, Ranieri, and others. I didn't decide anything.”

About his retirement, the “Pupone” added: “It was the club that told me I had to stop. One day they came to my house to tell me I would play the last derby. I'm not stupid: I knew the moment would come sooner or later, but I still felt good, both physically and mentally. Perhaps, on that occasion, I was more disappointed by Roma than by Spalletti. I was a nuisance. I even said I would play for free: I would have given everything for Roma.”

“Roma or Roma”: the rejected offers and love for the yellow-red colors

Totti then recalled the many offers he received over the years, but all declined for the love of the jersey. “Besides Real Madrid, I received a great offer from the American MLS. And before the farewell match, Mihajlovic called me to bring me to Torino. But I could never have accepted another jersey. My choice has always been one: Roma or Roma. I was born here and here I want to die. It will be difficult to find another player who will do what I did with my people.”

The pain of separation: “For three weeks I cried every day”

Totti's story then becomes intimate and melancholic: “When I stopped playing, I felt like I had no ground under my feet. For three weeks I cried every day. I was afraid, I felt cold with everyone. I would reread the farewell letter in the bathroom and cry, thinking about how those 25 years had flown by. I was convinced I would have a farewell match, but after that day at the Olimpico, I realized there couldn't be another farewell to Roma. It was like a separation between mother and child.”

“The 2001 Scudetto? Worth more than the World Cup”

Totti closed the interview by returning to the 2001 Scudetto, still the highest point of his career with Roma: “I didn't win a championship: I won the Scudetto, because that jersey is designed on me. Winning the World Cup and the Scudetto are two dreams of every footballer, but for me, the first remains the one with Roma. Some might say I'm crazy, but I put it a step above. Ranieri is the only one who can explain to the players the value of this jersey, even though I haven't heard from him since he returned. As for Gasperini, I'm sure I would have gotten along well with him. Now? And who can do it…”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.