Totti celebrated his 50th birthday. In the tenth episode of "Tutto In Piazza," hosted by Ivan Zazzaroni, editor-in-chief of Corriere dello Sport, he discussed his life after retirement, the number 10 jersey at Roma, and his feelings for the city and its fans.

Francesco, let's start with an age test.

What does that have to do with me?

It has everything to do with you, you're 50! Do you remember the exact date of your debut?

March 28.

Which year?

1993.

What minute did you come on?

84th minute?

87th minute. You played for 3 minutes, plus stoppage time.

It was an away game against Brescia.

You won. Who scored in that match?

Mihajlović, and Caniggia.

Correct. You're not that old after all.

I still remember some things.

Do you remember who convinced Boskov to let you make your debut?

There were several people at the time.

One person was particularly enthusiastic.

Muzzi?

Mihajlović.

Yes, Mihajlović, and Muzzi too.

Roberto Muzzi also persuaded him?

Yes, Roberto was always speaking up for me too. Actually, everyone was the same; I already had a good relationship with my teammates back then.

Exactly. In your 50 years…

49 years.

Right, 49 years. So far, what has been the best moment of your life?

If we're talking about football, then of course it's March 28. Making your debut is every child's dream, and fortunately, I achieved it. And from that day, that match, I was able to keep playing, which is especially important.

What's special about you?

Rather than saying anything special about me, I'd say I was very happy when I played.

Okay, I understand playing happily; I also play happily.

But that's just how I was on the field. When I was 14, I was already playing with the youth team, with Botticelli, Rossi, and others. They were born around 1970, 1972.

You were born in 1976.

Yes, there was a four or five-year age difference. I was very small back then. As a child, they called me "little dwarf" because I never grew. Then I suddenly shot up.

But I'm happy to see you've slimmed down. The last time I saw you, you seemed a bit out of shape.

Yes, I've adjusted my diet a bit.

That's good, you'll sleep better too.

I do sleep better. But I'm not really a big eater; I don't eat much normally and don't drink alcohol. It's just sweets that are hard to resist, and it's especially hard to stay in shape in the summer.

Have you always been careful about maintaining your physique?

Normally, yes. Our era was different; we didn't have as much strict management as today. But with daily training, your body naturally stays in shape.

What about the saddest moment?

If we don't count injuries, because injuries are part of a career, then it was the day I retired. But I always say, everything has a beginning and an end, and that's normal.

But that kind of ending was still different for you.

It's definitely different for players. Our thoughts and way of thinking are different from others.

Your lives also have a fixed rhythm.

You always do the same things at the same time and in the same way, you're used to it.

Were you ever afraid?

Yes, I was. And honestly, I'm still a little afraid now.

Afraid of what?

When you turn a new page, you never know what you'll encounter next. You've always been used to doing certain things, but you know that sooner or later you won't be able to do them anymore.

On the day you retired, what were you thinking when you sat there, before walking up the steps?

I thought about the 25 years I spent wearing the Roma jersey, and I thought about the fans. What hurt me even more was knowing that I wouldn't be participating in pre-season training or playing the first round of the league next season.

Not knowing how to plan your daily life anymore?

Exactly. As I just said, it's a habit. Before, you knew exactly what to do every day: wake up, go to Trigoria for training, eat lunch there, then go home to pick up the kids. Everything was arranged, and from that perspective, you didn't even have to think much.

You seem to have written two books... No, maybe three? There's a joke book, and two others.

You could say that. The joke book is more like the one I wrote myself; that book was a turning point. For that, I have to thank Maurizio Costanzo. He made me change my mind.

Because you always liked to joke around.

Yes, but I also took what people said to heart easily, and I was sensitive about many things. Back then, many journalists and people in entertainment attacked me from all sides.

Because of your Roma accent or something?

Because of my Roma accent, they said I was uncultured, and many other things. Costanzo helped me turn that page. He said, "Let's do this."

It's a bit like homeopathy.

Yes.

Isn't my way of putting it good? Are you happy with me?

Happy, happy. Because you also have to know the right measure, seize the timing, and especially listen to the advice of those with experience.

Speaking of goals, Fabio Tavano made me watch your 307 goals twice.

How long did you watch?

Actually, not too long. He played them fast, and he remembered every goal. Is there any goal that you personally find particularly beautiful, but we haven't fully appreciated its brilliance? You have so many spectacular goals, like the one against Genoa.

It's not that you didn't understand it; I think you did. But besides those goals against Genoa, Milan, and the derby goals, I especially like the second goal at home against Udinese. I scored two that match, not the first one, but the second one. Batistuta gently chipped the ball up. I can't remember if Bertotto was behind me.

It was Bertotto.

I chested the ball down, with my back to the goal. The goalkeeper was De Sanctis, I think, and then I struck the ball as it bounced, sending it into the far top corner.

That ball really had to go into the corner; in a different position, it wouldn't have felt the same.

But for me, more special than hitting the corner was the stance and body movement at the time.

Your favorite was the body movement?

Yes. That's also a fundamental skill in football, isn't it?

Your body movement for that goal against Genoa was incredible.

But that goal might have also had a bit of luck. You think "I'm going to kick the ball there," and it actually goes in. And I used my relatively weaker foot. But sometimes, it's precisely that foot that brings me more joy.

That foot is certainly useful, besides walking and standing steady, it can also score goals.

Exactly. It's not just for the clutch and brake either.

We had a private chat before. After all these years, this might be my first formal interview with you. When we talked about your father that time, you were very emotional, and I saw a very delicate side of you.

I think for any child, if a father teaches you values, principles of being a person, and upbringing, he has already given you a lot. My father was very special about football. From the time I started playing at six years old, in these more than thirty years, he never praised me once. He never told me "good game," nor did he say "you played really well today." If I scored two goals, he would say, "You played so poorly, why didn't you score three?" If I scored three, he would say, "You should have scored four." He could always find something to criticize me about.

How did you deal with those words at the time?

I was still young then, and sometimes I would ask my mother, "Why does Dad always say that about me? Does he not like me? Is he saying it on purpose, or does he really think that?" My mother would tell me, "He says it on purpose; he's actually incredibly happy for you." I never heard my father praise me directly. It wasn't anger, just a little sadness in my heart. Now, I do the same thing with my own children.

You never praise them either?

Never.

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