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Gladiator
For 25 years Francesco Totti was the uncrowned king of Rome, donning the famous carmine red jersey of the Italian capital’s eponymous football club more times than any other player and scoring more Serie A goals than any other player in history, bar one. Captain of Roma for twenty years he won every domestic honour as well as the 2006 World Cup with Italy. Now, for the first time, he tells his story in full.
- GenresAutobiographySports
329 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 8, 2021
One of Best Autobiographies I’ve ever enjoyed.
I’m a biased Roman born club supporter. I must admit that. For that reason , I knew I would enjoy this. The candid stories about talented misfits like Cassano and the World Cup drama against Germany in 2006 , are more than enough reason to pick up this book. Playing with 5 attacking players in overtime against Germany shatters the cattenacio stigma that Mancini recently drove a stake in the heart of.
Rarely is a modern book filled without smut. The class of wife Illary was a welcome surprise as well. I recommend this book for all fans that need to hear from an athlete that ddnt put money first. Totti is the Unicorn of modern football. He does not exist any more. Sadly. A must read for All Roma fans and football purists. Enjoy.
I’m a biased Roman born club supporter. I must admit that. For that reason , I knew I would enjoy this. The candid stories about talented misfits like Cassano and the World Cup drama against Germany in 2006 , are more than enough reason to pick up this book. Playing with 5 attacking players in overtime against Germany shatters the cattenacio stigma that Mancini recently drove a stake in the heart of.
Rarely is a modern book filled without smut. The class of wife Illary was a welcome surprise as well. I recommend this book for all fans that need to hear from an athlete that ddnt put money first. Totti is the Unicorn of modern football. He does not exist any more. Sadly. A must read for All Roma fans and football purists. Enjoy.
April 9, 2022
Fun and easy to read and an authentic glimpse into the mind and thoughts of Francesco Totti. Totti was a world class player who sacrificed glory, trophies and probably lots of money/game to remain at his true love: his hometown club AS Roma. Such love and loyalty is increasingly rare in today’s world which IIs one of the things that made this such a pleasure to read.
One can see Totti’s love and passion for his family and friends, his neighborhood, his city and his club with the many stories on and off the pitch that he tells in vivid detail. After reading the book one gets a clear understanding for Totti the career moves he made.
Totti does not come off as lacking confidence and there is certainly some remorse shown for some of his infamous off the ball incidents against Denmark in Euro 2004 and against Balotelli when he was at Inter. But this is where my criticism of the book (or perhaps Totti) begins. He, like many others, tries to justify even if slightly, why he did what he did. Perhaps I am being harsh, or expected better as nobody is perfect. The other issue I have is that Totti barely gives any commentary on Roma’s major Champions’ League defeats to Manchester United and Bayern Munich. As sad as they were to Roma fans such as myself, it would have been ideal to reflect more on these results and learn more about what went wrong in the locker room, whether it was tactics, team selection, chemistry, off the pitch issues, luck or some combination.
Anthony Wright does a lovely job translating.
All in all, a lovely read and a must read for Giallorossi (Roma) fans.
One can see Totti’s love and passion for his family and friends, his neighborhood, his city and his club with the many stories on and off the pitch that he tells in vivid detail. After reading the book one gets a clear understanding for Totti the career moves he made.
Totti does not come off as lacking confidence and there is certainly some remorse shown for some of his infamous off the ball incidents against Denmark in Euro 2004 and against Balotelli when he was at Inter. But this is where my criticism of the book (or perhaps Totti) begins. He, like many others, tries to justify even if slightly, why he did what he did. Perhaps I am being harsh, or expected better as nobody is perfect. The other issue I have is that Totti barely gives any commentary on Roma’s major Champions’ League defeats to Manchester United and Bayern Munich. As sad as they were to Roma fans such as myself, it would have been ideal to reflect more on these results and learn more about what went wrong in the locker room, whether it was tactics, team selection, chemistry, off the pitch issues, luck or some combination.
Anthony Wright does a lovely job translating.
All in all, a lovely read and a must read for Giallorossi (Roma) fans.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews