Francesco Totti, a special guest on Viva el Futbol, a football analysis show hosted by Lele Adani, Antonio Cassano, and Nicola Ventola, also spoke about the year of his retirement—still an open wound for the former captain.
A return to Roma? Yes, like Paolo Maldini at Milan
"The club asked me if I wanted to stay, and I said I would stay for free, that I was feeling good. I knew I could continue. I would never have demanded to be a starter, Roma always came first for me. With three matches left in the season, they told me I had to stop and that it would be my last derby. In that moment, I was bitter about the way it happened."
Totti added:
"The last year with Spalletti was difficult, but things like that happen in football. My return? I never considered playing for another team—it wouldn't have made sense. Only Maldini and I played 25 years with the same club. But do you really think that if Messi had spent 25 years at Roma with Frau, Cesar Gomez, and Pivotto, he would have won all those Ballon d'Ors?"
