AS Roma captain Francesco Totti played against Serie A side Genoa what may have been his final game . Totti says he is ready to take on a new adventure in his career.
But will this be a new move in his playing career or is Totti finally ready to retire? The forward leaves some hope to fans hoping he could be on the pitch for next season. Roma has, of course, come to greatly depend on the player and his influence. He admitted he was finding it difficult to hang up his boots. He also indicated he felt capable of continuing to play and said he was looking forward to a new experience.
“I like to think of my career as a fairytale to tell – and this is the worst part. Now it really is over,” Totti said in a statement issued after the game. “I take off my shirt for the last time. I will fold it nicely, even if I have to admit I’m not ready to say it’s over and maybe I never will be.”
“Sorry if during this period I didn’t give interviews or clarified my thoughts, but it’s not easy to switch that light off. Now I am afraid. It’s not the same fear you have in front of the goal when you need to score a penalty. This time I cannot see through the holes in the net what lies beyond.”
“So allow me to be a little afraid. This time I am the one who needs you and your warmth. What you’ve always shown me. With your affection, I will certainly be able to turn the page and throw myself into a new adventure.”
Roma secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Genoa. With this victory Roma finish second in the Serie A, ahead of rivals Napoli, and will again play in the Champions League. It caps off a good season for the side, one in which the team even looked ready at different points to take the league crown away from Turin.
Realistically, Totti may have played his last game of an impressive 28-year-career. Totti remained a one man club player throughout it. His most important achievement with Roma came in 2001 when the team won the Serie A title. The player had this to say about his career and the difficulty of walking away from it.
“It is impossible to sum up 28 years in a few sentences,” Totti says . “I’d like to do so with a song or poem, but I can’t write any. “
“Back on June 17 2001, we all wanted time to pass a little more quickly. We couldn’t wait to hear the referee blow the final whistle. I still get goose bumps now when I think back to it.”
If this was indeed Totti’s last game as a professional football player, he sees it as an opportunity to mature and take up new challenges. As is for any player saying goodbye to the game and their career, he knows that the transition will not be an easy one.
“Today, time has come to tap me on the shoulder and say: ‘We have to grow up. As of tomorrow, you’ll be an adult. Take off those shorts and boots because starting today, you are a man. You can no longer enjoy the smell of the grass, the sun on your face as you bear down on the opposition’s goal, the adrenaline consuming you, the joy of celebrating.'”
