Serie A

Francesco Totti ends Roma career on high

Francesco Totti ended his Roma career on a high by helping secure Champions League football next season for his one and only club.

On an emotional day in the Italian capital the Roma legend had to make do with a place on the bench for the Serie A clash against Genoa.

But with his side drawing 1-1 and needing a win to finish runners-up to Juventus and claim a place in the group stage of the Champions League Totti was introduced in the 54th minute.

Francesco Totti ends Roma career on a high
Totti prior to kick-off (Getty)

When Daniele De Rossi scored with 15 minutes to go the party started at the Olympic Stadium but the visitors had other ideas. Darko Lazovic equalised with 10 minutes to go setting up a tense finish.

Diego Perotti however scored in the 90th minute to spark wild scenes and ensure second place in Serie A, keeping Napoli in third and sending them into the Champions League play-offs.

Francesco Totti ends Roma career on a high
Fans pay tribute (Getty)
Francesco Totti ends Roma career on a high
(Getty)
Francesco Totti ends Roma career on a high
Thanking their captain (Getty)
Francesco Totti ends Roma career on a high
Fans wear his famous No 10 (Getty)

While finishing runners-up was huge for Roma, the day was all about Totti who ends his Roma career – and quite possibly retires altogether – as the club’s record all-time scorer with 307 goals.

The 2006 World Cup winner made his debut for the club at the age of 16 – back in March 1993. In the intervening years the 40-year-old has won Serie A, made 786 appearances and scored 250 league goals.

Francesco Totti ends Roma career on a high
Totti making his final appearance (Getty)

Few have been and ever will be regarded in the esteem that Totti is and the playmaker was understandably the subject of numerous tributes in the build-up to his final match.

Among them was fellow one-club man Steven Gerrard who labelled Totti the ‘King of Rome’.

David Beckham revealed earlier this week than he nearly joined Roma so that he could play with Totti.

‘There was an opportunity for me to join Roma when I was in America and one of the main reasons I was very tempted was Francesco,’ Beckham told Roma’s website.

‘To play on a team with him would have be special. It was always special when you were actually on the field against him.’

His former Italy team-mate Gianluigi Buffon said has also spoken highly of Totti.

‘I’m one of Totti’s favourite victims,’ the Juventus goalkeeper said in a post on Roma’s Twitter account.

‘We’ve often played against each other, and like me he’s always played in strong teams so it’s inevitable he’s scored a lot of goals.

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