There is always something special about a player who spends their entire career with one club. Steven Gerrard has endeared himself to the Liverpool supporters, Ryan Giggs is a Manchester United legend and Ledley King will forever be a Tottenham Hotspur hero. There is another player who can be added to the list – AS Roma captain Francesco Totti.
The Italian on Thursday celebrated 20 years with the club on March 28th 1993, sparking the career of one of the greatest footballers to have graced Serie A in its illustrious history. In that period, Totti has made close to 700 appearances Giallorossi shirt, netting 281 times and helped Roma to a Serie A title, two Supercoppa Italiana’s and two Coppa Italia’s, not to mention the 2006 World Cup with Italy.
The fact that he’s still plying his trade at the top level to the highest of standards is a testament to his capabilities, as both a player and an athlete. At 36, he won’t be able to play football as much he had in the past, much like Giggs at United, but his influence and the respect he commands both on and off the pitch means it’s hardly a shock to see Totti continuously win the plaudits, and deservedly so.