By Zoran Avramović
“I was ready to walk from Manchester to Rome to bring him to our club, but even that wasn’t enough.”
That’s how Sir Alex Ferguson, an iconic figure in the world of football management, spoke in the mid-2000s about one of his rare failed attempts to bring a player to “Old Trafford” as reinforcement for a team that already commanded respect wherever it appeared. The prince who refused to leave the coliseum of his childhood dreams, a prisoner of one great football love, is Francesco Totti.
In today’s football landscape, it is almost unthinkable for a great player’s CV to list only one club. There is (far) too much money in the game. Transfer fees now reach hundreds of millions of euros per player, footballers rarely stay in one place, and the pull of money has become irresistible. Fans once knew team line-ups by heart in the middle of the night, while today even top European clubs are in constant search of new names to print on expensive jerseys. That is why Totti and his small circle of peers bring a smile to the brighter pages of football almanacs.
The captain of AS Roma made his debut for “the She-Wolf” in 1993 at just 16 years old, when Vujadin Boškov sent him onto the pitch in a match against Brescia on March 28, 1993. His farewell performance, as Italian journalists poetically described it, came on May 28, 2017, against Genoa. Between those two dates lie 24 years, or 290 months, 1,261 weeks, or 8,827 days. In the records, next to the name Totti, stand 844 appearances (63,376 minutes) and 316 goals.
Many “suitors” came to the Eternal City for the Prince of Rome. Real Madrid and Manchester United showed the greatest persistence, but, believe it or not, all in vain. It remains recorded that when a Russian oligarch once asked Totti what it would take for him to play for his club, he replied: “Buy Roma. There is no other way.”
Totti became the embodiment of the Roman spirit in football, which, according to some interpretations, includes immeasurable dedication and loyalty to family, placed above personal material interests. Francesco was a son of AS Roma, one family. In this beautiful example, reflected in his rejection of enormous offers from wealthy clubs and individuals, three stages can be recognized: growing into the Prince of Rome, rising to the King of Rome, and ultimately becoming Rome itself. Is that not enough for one football career, for one life? To become a synonym for Roma and Rome, the navel of civilization.
For the joy and pride of football, and perhaps as inspiration for others shaping their own paths, there are still great players who spent entire careers, often spanning two decades, in a single jersey. Just to name a few: goalkeepers Lev Yashin (Dinamo Moscow), Igor Akinfeev (CSKA), Rogério Ceni (São Paulo), as well as players Jack Charlton (Leeds United), Giuseppe Bergomi (Inter), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Tony Adams (Arsenal), Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville (Manchester United) and Paolo Maldini (AC Milan).
When it comes to loyalty in football, it is worth highlighting an interesting project by a club from northern Spain. Athletic Bilbao introduced the “One Club” award 11 years ago, honoring those who spent their entire professional careers at a single club. It is a recognition that celebrates loyalty, acknowledging the familial bond between team, fans, and players. Simply put, it is about finding a footballer in whom fans see themselves on the pitch. Unfortunately, where football becomes highly, and often uncontrollably, commercialized, in Europe’s top five leagues, the foundations of identity, tradition, and passion are often forgotten – loyalty to one club. One club.
