Francesco Totti: A priceless commodity in the modern game
On Sunday afternoon, AS Roma will round-off their Serie A campaign against Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico. A victory will confirm runners-up spot for the Giallorossi, but the tears will not be in recognition of finishing below champions Juventus. They will be for Francesco Totti, the veteran striker who may well be representing the club for the final time.
Now 40, Totti is yet to confirm that he will retire from the club he joined in 1989 at the age of just 13, but with his opportunities limited, it seems increasingly likely that he will bring this chapter of his life to a close while he still holds his place in the squad on sporting merit.
And should Sunday be the final play, then this is a story that must be retold to future generations. With over 300 goals in almost 800 appearances since making his senior debut back in 1993, Totti has represented all the values that have been lost in the modern game with his commitment to his boyhood club.
Roma means everything to Francesco Totti, and Totti now means everything to the fans that will salute him for possibly the last time on Sunday. He is unlikely to start but guaranteed to feature, and if he can score one final goal in front of the supporters from the Italian capital that adore him, it will be a script to match anything produced in ancient Roman theatre.
Totti is not shy in expressing his love for the club, the importance it plays in his life and the value in which he holds it upon. His passion has boiled into controversy over the years with high-profile arguments questioning his very future at the club, but the individual custodians concerned, those just passing through the corridors of power, could not diminish is love for the colours, the badge or the name.
He remained loyal, often against the odds in political arguments, and many high-profile figures were left intimidated and defeated by his status. Totti is at one with the fans. He understands their needs, their expectations, their disappointments, their celebrations. Should Sunday bring the final curtain down on his incredible playing career, he will return to the terraces as a fan, only this time he will be able to reflect on what he has achieved, and not to dream of what could be.
Of course, there are other one-club players that have devoted their entire playing careers to one badge. Ryan Giggs at Manchester United together with Paulo Maldini and Franco Baresi at Italian rivals AC Milan are recent examples of a situation that was far more common in the past. Such dedication is rare in the modern game, and even if a player's best years are spent with one club, a final payday in an exotic foreign backwater tends to be the popular route into retirement now.
However, what separates Francesco Totti from the aforementioned trio are his achievements. Giggs, Maldini and Baresi amassed a wealth of trophies during their respective times at Old Trafford and the San Siro. Between them, they lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on 10 occasions. By comparison, Totti has never experienced European glory, and has just four domestic trophies and a Serie A title to his name.
And that is what makes Totti's passion for Roma so different, so special, so genuine. It wasn't about glory. It was about Roma. His career success was based on playing for Roma, and whatever the side achieved was a bonus. Totti only wanted to win silverware with Roma. If he had switched to a bigger club, he may well have medals to share with his family, trinkets of a journeyman career.
But they would have just a personal meaning in what is a team game. Winning titles with Roma would mean so much more. That was the drive, to make Roma successful, not Francesco Totti. He had already achieved his footballing ambition by wearing the shirt against Brescia in March 1993.
He would lift the World Cup with Italy in 2006, bringing glory to his country, and it was that deeper level of commitment felt at the international level that is mirrored for Totti at Roma. So few other players share such a bond with their club, but when it exists, it is beautiful.
And Totti is in the right city to become a legendary figure. Rome is a city of historical significance and has played a defining role in the development of modern life. Like the gladiators that fought for the thousands of people packed into the Colosseum to the powerful political and religious leaders that controlled large parts of the world in ancient times, Totti is the modern hero, the symbol of the city.
He is a celebrated figure, a man that represents Roman life, a man that has shown loyalty to his team that displays all of the right values. Totti will remain a hero in Rome for many years, and his status will increase as his playing career becomes part of Roman folklore and legend. Totti has had a career blessed by his city, his team and its people have been blessed by him, and the modern game has been blessed by his true commitment in an era of financial greed.