Few players get the chance to play for Real Madrid and even less have luxury of rejecting a move to the Spanish capital.
Los Blancos’ incredible domestic and UEFA Champions League success has enabled the club to lure some of world’s greatest players to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
However, they have not managed to secure every transfer target which popped up on their radar, particularly when looking to sign star players from the Premier League and Serie A.
Totti reveals Real Madrid rejection
Former Italy international and AS Roma legend Francesco Totti has opened up on multiple offers which landed from Madrid and why he rejected them.
“Everyone knows Roma’s fans are different from any other fan base in Italy or Europe,” he Corriere dello Sport.
“I experienced something unique in Rome. I was crowned in this city, that was possible because of the fans. They gave me so much.
“During my career, I had the chance to play for other teams, both in Italy and abroad. Especially with Real Madrid, where a transfer was very, very close.
“It wasn’t a question of weakness. It was a question of love. I chose with my heart, which has always been dedicated to Roma, to the love I felt for these colours, for this shirt.”
Totti’s commitment to Roma is illustrated by some stunning numbers for the one-club man.
The 48-year-old scored an outrageous 307 goals in 786 appearances in all competitions in a club career that stretched across three decades from 1993 to 2017.
In 25 seasons at the Stadio Olimpico, he won just one league title in 200/01, and two Coppa Italia crowns.
He is miles ahead as Roma’s top scorer and all-time lading appearance maker.
250 Serie A goals puts him second on the all-time list, behind Silvia Piola [274], and he is third for Italian top-flight appearances on 619 behind legendary former Italy teammates Paolo Maldini and Gianluigi Buffon.
