Roma’s Francesco Totti has joked that perhaps even some Lazio” data-scaytid=”2″>Lazio fans hold a secret affiliation for him ‘within themselves’.
In a candid interview with Panorama, the Giallorosso captain considered his occasional positive reception from opposition fans and when he first noticed it.
Roma’s Francesco Totti has joked that perhaps even some Lazio fans hold a secret affiliation for him ‘within themselves’.
In a candid interview with Panorama, the Giallorosso captain considered his occasional positive reception from opposition fans and when he first noticed it.
“I had never considered it. It was by chance I noticed that when once entering the field, a small group of fans of the opposing team paid tribute to me with a greeting,” Totti has considered this week.
“It is clear, it is a homage to Totti of the national team, but it was so unusual that it pleased me…
“Who knows… perhaps there may be some Lazio fans that, intimately and unbeknownst to everyone else, send me greetings or applaud me, not openly but inside of themselves, when I enter the pitch.
“And Roma’s fans? Maybe I'm just very fortunate and believe in myself. At the end of each victory, I run with the team to the Curva that belongs to us.
“It fills me with great satisfaction. I live it as a gift, as if I embrace the fans who fill up the stands one at a time.”
Totti then reflected on how he never gave up in his quest to become a footballer from a young age, before sharing his biggest regret of adulthood.
“I never thought about anything else because I liked what I was doing in an exaggerated way, and then I seemed to be working overtime to cultivate my passion,” he continued.
“I think it’s a great privilege to match a job to a passion or hobby. I don’t know if my children will follow the same path [as me].
“I’m lucky in the sense that perhaps my greatest regret is in relation to what my dreams, desires and hopes were.
“When I escaped to a small field near my school to kick a ball around, the enthusiasm of those hours, however, were crossed by the fear that some teacher would spot you. I know that I can no longer experience that.
“Certainly I have experienced far greater satisfaction, but I did not notice the size of the hope, the scale of the dream – to grow up to become a footballer.
“Now, I'm always sad that the years do not allow me to say ‘when I grow up, I want to do this’, because I am grown up.”
Totti recently became the oldest goalscorer in Champions League history following his strike in Roma’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City.