Rome, 22 Sept. (LaPresse) – “I turned down Serie A. I turned down Genoa. I turned down Como. I was 48 years old. Genoa’s manager was Alberto Gilardino, a World Cup winner like me with Italy in 2006, whilst Cesc Fabregas – one of the greats in footballing history – was already in charge at Como. Gilardino was 42, Fabregas 37, so I would have been 6 and 11 years older, respectively, than the people being paid to tell me what to do. These aren’t urban myths; it’s the plain truth. Unbelievable, but true. Crazy.” This is written by Roma’s legendary captain Francesco Totti in his autobiography *Oltre* (Cairo Editore). The extract was published in *Corriere della Sera*. Totti also recounts his first kiss with his partner Noemi Bocchi: “Near Piazza del Popolo, in the car, like two schoolkids, in the dim light. I was a bit scared; I was genuinely nervous. I’d kissed plenty of times in my life, but I considered that one to be incredibly important. I couldn’t very well get it wrong, like the penalty against Australia at the 2006 World Cup. Pivotal moments for the future, odes to joy. I began to be assailed by the doubts of adolescence. Do I kiss her or wait for her to do it? Do I close my eyes or keep them open? What if she doesn’t like it? Do I use my tongue or not? What if someone sees us? Apparently, we shared the right kiss at the right moment. With Rome as a backdrop, within us, and before us.”
Football, Totti: “At 48, I turned down Genoa and Como”
Rome, 22 Sept. (LaPresse) – “I turned down Serie A. I turned down Genoa. I turned down Como. I was 48 years old. Genoa’s manager was Alberto Gilardino, a World Cup winner like me with Italy in 2006, whilst Cesc Fabregas – one of the greats in footballing history – was already in charge at Como. Gilardino was 42, Fabregas 37, so I would have been 6 and 11 years older, respectively, than the people being paid to tell me what to do. These aren’t urban myths; it’s the plain truth. Unbelievable, but true. Crazy.” This is written by Roma’s legendary captain Francesco Totti in his autobiography *Oltre* (Cairo Editore). The extract was published in *Corriere della Sera*. Totti also recounts his first kiss with his partner Noemi Bocchi: “Near Piazza del Popolo, in the car, like two schoolkids, in the dim light. I was a bit scared; I was genuinely nervous. I’d kissed plenty of times in my life, but I considered that one to be incredibly important. I couldn’t very well get it wrong, like the penalty against Australia at the 2006 World Cup. Pivotal moments for the future, odes to joy. I began to be assailed by the doubts of adolescence. Do I kiss her or wait for her to do it? Do I close my eyes or keep them open? What if she doesn’t like it? Do I use my tongue or not? What if someone sees us? Apparently, we shared the right kiss at the right moment. With Rome as a backdrop, within us, and before us.”