Francesco Totti | | | When Francesco was just a little boy, he often played with a football. Mother Fiorella pushed him to play football.
When he's five years old Totti plays his first match. That summer his dad accompanies him in a summertournament. Francesco asks the team if he can play a couple of minutes. Francesco was very little and thin. He was the smallest of everybody. But Francesco Totti's dad insists. In the end Francesco plays a few minutes and he scores twice. That's when his footballcareer starts, on a beach near Roma.
The first teams
When he is five years old he begins to play in a team called Fortitudo. Francesco was always the smallest of the team. But also the best.
Totti had good playing-tricks. He has the ability to see, before the others, where the ball ends. While other children were watching cartoons, Francesco always watched footballmatches on television. The kick becomes more a big passion.
In 1986 Francesco goes to Lodigiani, which is the first important footstep towards his carreer. After the first season Totti meets Emidio Meroni who has been very important for him. After two other seasons the family Totti has to make a big decision, because Lodigiani announce that Totti can go to Roma or Lazio. The young soccer-player from the Porta Metronia goes to the Trigoria. In 1989 he starts his career with the juvenile giallorossi.
The debut for Roma
Everybody sees that Totti has a great talent. In the season 91/92 he plays for the National Students with Aldo Maldera and for the Spring with Luciano Spinosi. During the first years he trains on the field of the Three Fountains, then on the fields of Trigoria. Francesco goes crazy for AS Roma when he sees the stadium. He admires Voeller and Giannini.
That year Totti also plays for the team under 14. At the end of that tournament he's the best player.
Then he finds his way to the serie A. In the season 92/93 he gets the chance to train at Trigoria against the first team of Roma and after that he joins the team of trainer Boskov.
Totti is only 16 years old when he begins to play in the Serie A. His first game with the first team was against Brescia on March 28, 1993 (2-1 for Roma).
He makes his first goal in the next season 93/94. On September 4 he made his first serie-A goal. Francesco was very happy with it. He said: 'When I came home, I only felt a big hunger, so I went out with my brother to get an ice-cream. I didn't realize that I made my first goal'.
The passion for Roma
The family Totti then gets a phonecall from Milan. They wanted him to play in the team. But Francesco didn' have doubts. He only wants AS Roma!
From that moment the relationship between Francesco and the first team began to grow, also when he joins the juvenile Azzurri. In 1994 Totti signs his first bigger contract with Roma. He succeeds in playing in the first team. The two great players: Balbo and Fonseca help him to grow. They see Totti as a great champion.
In 1996 he starts to play for the national team under 21. They conquest the European Title Under 21 with Caeser Maldini. In the final they beat Spain (May 31 1996).
In 1994 Francesco meets Carletto Mazzone who will definitely launch him. 4 September 1994: Totti get the chance to play for the Italian Olympic team. Now he plays in front of the public which he was part of, a few years ago, as a small fan.
After three years Mazzone goes and Bianchi arrives. The Argentinian technician doesn't succeed in establishing a good relationship with the players. There's a debate on the position of Francesco on the field. For the first months of that season, Totti enters and goes out the team. Totti doesn't feel good, but that changes when Liedholm and Saddle take over. Liedholm gives Totti the most beautiful compliment: 'People buy tickets to see you play'
Also Zeman will be Totti's trainer for one year and then Fabio Capello arrives....
Probably the season 99/00 was the most positive for Francesco. The beginning was not quite good, because of his car accident, but he showed that he can be a leader, also in difficult moments.
Euro 2000 was his big break. He showed that he has reached the international level. Especially the games agianst Belgium (his goal) and Romania (other important goal) where he made two goals and of course the semi-final against Holland (the penalty) and the final against France.
His greatest ambition is to win titles. Last year he managed to win his first title with Roma. Roma became champion of the serie A 2000-2001 after an exciting season. Francesco's dream came true. 'It was the most beautiful day in my life'
In the summer of 2001 Roma also won the Italian supercup against Fiorentina.
2002: With AS Roma he became 2nd of the Serie A. The World Cup 2002 had to be his tournament, but Italy didn't come further than the 2nd round.
Francesco also plays tennis. He likes comics and his favorite music-stars are U2 and Pearl Jam.
After a long relationship with Maria Mazza, he's now engaged with Ilary Blasi. She was born in 1981 and is a teacher. |
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