Totti hints at unlikely Serie A return aged 48 – but rules out one club

3 hours ago

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Francesco Totti, the former Italy national team player, has revealed that several elite clubs have approached him about a surprising comeback to professional football, and he is considering the possibility.

One of the greatest figures in Italian football, Totti hung up his boots in 2017, having dedicated his whole professional career to AS Roma. He found the back of the net 250 times in Serie A, making him the second-highest scorer in the league's history.

Even though it's been over seven years since he retired, the 48-year-old is convinced he could still make a difference in the top tier of football. He thinks the lack of skilled players in his former position could work in his favor. Additionally, he believes that if he were to join a club, he would be ready to pitch in and play in Serie A by the start of the new year.

"I received some calls from Serie A clubs," he mentioned in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. "I can't deny that it got me thinking, which was a bit surprising. It would certainly be a challenge, but you can never rule anything out in life. There are players who continue to compete long after they've officially retired. Of course, it also matters where you’re playing. With all due respect, if I were to make a comeback in Serie A, I’d need to train hard."

"I believe I could definitely hold my own in today's Serie A. Give me two or three months to prepare, and I’d be ready to go," he said. "Even at 48, I'm still active on the field for half an hour or twenty minutes."

Totti didn't reveal which clubs had reached out to him about a possible comeback, but it was expected that he would dismiss the idea of joining his long-time rivals. Nevertheless, he believes that another team in the league might eventually gain from his skills and experience.

"Lazio? I wouldn't have thought about it even for a moment," he remarked. "That's nothing but chatter; it's laughable."

“If I were to take a wild leap, I’d choose to do it in Italy rather than in another country.”

"When you flip to the next page, you can never predict what you'll find. Perhaps that's part of the reason I've felt this way inside. It's a fact that everything has a start and an end. A 10 in Italy? That doesn't exist for me; I could always return."

Totti's final game for Roma took place in May 2017, during which he came on as a substitute for Mohamed Salah in the second half.

He was a director of the club until 2019, when he left following a reported disagreement with the chairman at the time, James Pallotta.