Italian football icon, Francesco Totti, clocked 40 on Tuesday, but the Champions League’s oldest scorer is showing no signs of slowing down and indeed seems to have found a new lease of life.
He may no longer be Roma’s Golden anymore, but he is still very much the King of Rome.
Below are 10 fascinating football stats about the veteran.
- Youngest captain in Serie A history
No wonder he’s called the “evergreen skipper”: Francesco Totti has been captain of Roma since 1998. At the time he was handed the skipper’s armband, he was 22 years and 34 days old, which made him the youngest ever captain in Italian football history – a record that still stands today.
- Most teams scored against in Serie A
To date, Totti has scored against 38 different Serie A sides. This ties him with retired legend Roberto Baggio, which will probably not surprise most calcio fans. Interestingly, another who also shares this impressive record is Alberto Gilardino, who has played for quite a few teams and is currently plying his trade with Palermo.
- A personal milestone…despite his advancing years
Totti’s brace against Torino on April 20th was the first time in his 24 seasons as a professional that he has netted two goals coming off the bench. And this was at the age of 39!
- Most penalties scored in Serie A
Roma’s most famous player also shares yet another record with Baggio. However, this is one he just may be able to set for himself. So far, Totti has scored 68 penalties in the Italian football top flight, and you can bet if the Giallorossi get a spot-kick between now and till the end of the season – and he is on the pitch – he will be definitely stepping up to take it.
- The “old man” still got it
As the saying goes, “age ain’t nothing but a number”. On October 25, 2014, less than a month after celebrating his 38th birthday, Totti scored a sublime free-kick against Russian side CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. As of now, he is the oldest ever player to score in the tournament’s history.
- Second all-time top goal-scorer in Serie A history
With 247 goals as of April 20th, Roma’s long-serving skipper is only second behind Silvo Piola, who netted 274 goals from 1929–1954. The next highest active goal-scorer is Antonio Di Natale, who has 208 and is currently playing for Udinese.
- Third in all-time appearances in Serie A history
Totti has made a total of 597 appearances in Italian football’s top flight. This is only bettered by Paolo Maldini, who made 647 appearances between 1984 and 2009 and Javier Zanetti, who made 615 appearances between 1995 and 2014.
Interestingly, like Totti, both Maldini and Zanetti played all their Serie A football for one club: Maldini, of course featured for AC Milan, whilst Zanetti spent his entire career with Inter.
- He’s not the Derby della Capitale’s all-time goal-scorer
Although he has made the most appearances, with 41 so far, Totti is actually the joint-top goal-scorer. He just one more goal to achieve that feat. Currently with 11 in Roma-Lazio clashes, the Giallorossi ace is tied with retired Brazilian forward Dino Da Costa, who played for the Lupi during late 1950’s.
- Totti…in a Lazio kit?! Apparently it almost happened…
Milan also expressed interest, but apparently Totti’s mother turned them down. However, when he was a child, his then-youth team actually had an agreement in hand to sell him to Lazio, until a Giallorossi youth coach named Gildo Giannini convinced the Tottis to let their son sign up with the Lupi.
It might be hard for fans to imagine, but the man Serie A followers all associate with Roma could have actually have been featuring in a Biancocelesti kit instead had things taken a different turn.
- He needs three more to…and more impressive records
Right now, Totti needs three more goals to make it 250 goals for Roma. Three more games will make it 600 for the Giallorossi in Serie A. Not surprisingly, he is also the all-time top goalscorer for Roma in the Champions League, with 17 goals and the Europa League, with 21 goals. Three additional games will make it 60 in the Champions League and a century overall in European competition.
