Francesco Totti (born 27 September 1976 in Rome) is an Italian football
player, who currently plays for AS Roma in Serie A and the Italian
national team.
A creator as well as a scorer of goals - not least from free kicks - Francesco Totti can operate from a variety of attacking positions but it is in the free role behind the strikers that his skill and technique are best showcased.
Childhood
Totti was born in Rome, in the San Giovanni section of the city. His
parents are Enzo and Fiorella Totti. Totti played football throughout
his childhood. He first joined the junior team for AS Roma in 1989.
National team
Hugely talented as a teenager, Totti scored in Italy's 4-1 defeat by
Spain in the final of the UEFA European Under-18 Championship in July
1995. In the final of the Under-21 competition in 1996, Totti opening
the scoring in a 1-1 draw against the Spanish before triumphing on
penalties. Totti made his senior Azzurri debut in the Euro 2000 qualifying
victory against Switzerland on 10 October 1998. He played in the finals
tournament and scored against Romania and Belgium and played in the
finals, losing to France. More disappointment followed at the 2002
World Cup, with Totti failing to make a significant impact and then
being sent off as Italy lost to the Korean Republic in the second round.
At Euro 2004, Totti garnered negative media attention when he spat at
Christian Poulsen, a midfielder for Denmark who had marked him for the
whole match. Totti was subsequently banned until the semi-finals, but
did not play in the tournament again, as Italy failed to qualify for
the next round.
Club
Totti was just 16 when he made his first appearance for AS Roma in a
2-0 away victory at Brescia Calcio on March 28, 1993. He scored four
goals in 21 outings in 1994/95 and over the ensuing seasons became a
team regular. He was named Italy's Player of the Year in 2000. The following
season (2000/1) he helped AS Roma secure their first league title since
1983, having scored 13 Serie A goals. Unhappily, in the 2001/02 campaign
Roma finished runners-up to Juventus, but Totti returned with a personal-best
of 14 goals during the 2002/3 season.
2003/04: Playing in a more advanced role, Totti hit a career-high 20 goals as Roma finished second in Serie A.
2004/2005 : A very disappointing season, with Roma almost being relegated.
Additional Information
A goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, Totti allowed two books to be published
containing jokes made at his expense to raise money for the children's
charity. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest
living footballers in March 2004.