It is not in his beloved Rome that Francesco Totti has chosen to celebrate his 50th birthday, preferring to do so in Las Vegas, together with his partner, Noemi Bocchi, and their respective children. A more intimate way to spend an important day, with the advantage of the time zone which moved the fateful arrival in the second half century of life a little further. The first, now behind us, was almost unique in the history of sport, Italian and beyond, in the almost total interpenetration with his favorite team, Roma, and his city which soon identified him and honored him as its eighth king.
An inimitable career, even despite the few titles won: from the pitches of the oratory to the Olimpico, a quarter of a century in Serie A and the same desire to amaze and have fun, to invent football and score avalanches of goals, admired by his opponents, an idol for generations of footballers who grew up studying his magic.
From Pupone to Gladiator, from joke books to those of Cicero in his city, from the scudetto to the world title, from commercials to glamorous commitments, from Unicef ambassador to so much silent charity. Then there is the private, but inevitably completely public, story, from the marriage and family built with Ilary Blasy to the painful and happy events that accompanied her, told by him in the recently released book 'Oltre', dedicated to the years following his farewell to football, with the last match played on 29 May 2017.
Looking then at his future, Francesco Totti would probably have imagined himself having a leading role in his Roma at the age of 50, but circumstances did not allow it. In search of new stimuli, he launched himself into a new challenge, becoming advisor to the owners of Maxima Roma, the basketball team that has ambitions of entering the NBA Europe project.
Roma, on the official website, celebrates him with a series of memories in alphabetical form - from Aalst, the team for which he scored his first European goal in 1995, to Zeman Zdenek, the coach who valorised him, giving him the captaincy -, while the Football Federation sends its best wishes to social media, publishing a post dedicated to him on the national team's official channels, with images of his best moments in blue, from second place at the European Championship 2000 at the World Cup won in 2006.
Former teammates, friends and Giallorossi fans compete to honor the legend, with jokes, anecdotes and virtual hugs, recalling his records - 786 appearances and 307 goals scored in his career with Roma, 250 in Serie A, the conquest of a Scudetto, two Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups - and his countless exploits: heels and spoons but also vision of the game, inspired throws and assists and the constant relentless scoring volley that took him to second place among Italian goalscorers behind only Silvio Piola. Indelible memories for many, who now compete to follow, and re-disseminate, the details of the Las Vegas party on their family members' profiles.
