GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
The life of a footballer is fleeting. They are just one of thousands of players worldwide during the time they are active, so it takes something special to stand out from the crowd.
If they manage to do that, and become one of the best of their generation, they then have to compete with the vast number of legends to have written history when stepping onto a football pitch. There is a plethora of talent that a player finds themselves alongside. They can only do so much to make sure they leave a legacy better than the others. Will people still remember Francesco Totti in ten, twenty years' time? Will his goals have faded from memory after 50 years? Will people even know his name 100 years from now? Of course they'll remember. Because the legend lives on. In a world where it's so easy to be forgotten, Totti has given fans a story that will stand the test of time. He has done things that few others have - stayed loyal to one club, scored over 300 goals, won the World Cup... the list goes on. These achievements won't fade away. Stories will be passed from generation to generation, with more and more people intrigued by the legend of Francesco Totti. Football fans remember their clubs' heroes, even those players from long ago. A Roma fan born in the 1970s, like Totti, will have heard the tales of Amedeo Amadei's goalscoring exploits more than 20 years before. Those born in the 1980s will know about Pedro Manfredini and Giacomo Losi from the side that won the 1961 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the only European trophy the club has ever lifted. And those born after Totti made his debut in 1993 still know how good Falcao, Agostino Di Bartolomei and Roberto Pruzzo were when Roma won their second Scudetto in 1983. And so it will be with Totti. Knowledge of this hero will form part of every Romanista's education in years to come. Youngsters will learn about his skill, leadership and loyalty, and all the records he broke. They will hear of the trophies he inspired his team to, and how he sacrificed a career where he could have achieved anything so that he could follow his heart and play for the club he loved. Videos of all his goals are available online, and the new generations will be able to utilise this luxury to see for themselves just how good he was. They won't have to imagine what he was like; they'll experience the volleys against Udinese and Sampdoria, the chip against Inter, the curled finish against Milan with the outside of his boot. Those same emotions that gripped Romanisti for a quarter of a century will take hold of a new generation. They'll get their own feelings of what it was like to witness Francesco Totti. Totti's story is without comparison. A story of how he grew up in the Eternal City of Rome, fascinated by football. How he played against boys twice his age and ran rings around them. How he idolised Roma's number 10 Giuseppe Giannini, and eventually got to play on the same pitch as him. A story of how he broke into the first team of the club he had supported his whole life at the age of just 16. How he scored before reaching adulthood. And a story of how he went on to lead his team as captain from the age of just 22. A story of how he became only the third Roma captain to lift the Serie A trophy. How he shone on the global stage by winning the World Cup. And how he scored goal, after goal, after goal. A story of how he overtook records set by legends such as Pruzzo and Losi. And he didn't just beat them - he smashed them. If anyone will ever emulate his achievements, they'll have an awful lot of work to do. No, Totti won't be matched by anyone. He had the answer for any question on the pitch, a leader and a hero. His story continued, chapter upon chapter, until he became a part of the very fabric of his club. Francesco Totti has left a legacy through his playing career that will continue to inspire and amaze. Just as he looked up to Giannini, in future years there will be a whole host of youngsters fascinated by his own ability, children dreaming of becoming the next Francesco Totti. They'll be captured by his story and dream about replicating his achievements. Generation to generation, he'll never be forgotten. The legend lives on.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
samuel bannister
Founder and editor of Giallorossi Yorkshire, who is also a columnist for Roma's official website about the women's team. Categories
All
Archives
October 2019
|