"I'm a bit of a wandering gypsy on the pitch. A midfielder constantly on the lookout for an unspoilt corner where I can move freely just for a moment...A space where I can continue to profess my creed: take the ball, give it to a team-mate, team-mate scores. It's called an assist, and it's my way of spreading happiness."

"I strike dead balls alla Pirlo. Each shot bears my name and they're all my children."

"Swearing's my release, and the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity."

"If I look in the mirror when I get up, or before going to bed a night, i see a man of average ugliness...But I also see a man who's completely happy with the figure staring back at him. Who's proud of every single second of his past."

"I don't feel pressure. I don't give a toss about it. I spent the afternoon of Sunday, July 9, 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup."

"I've got a fair few kilometres under my belt, but it's the short distances that wear me out. They're tests of your mental stamina, rather than your speed. For Neil Armstrong, it was walking on the surface of the moon and, in my case, the ultra-green pitch of the Olympiastadion."

"I thought about quitting after Istanbul because nothing made sense any more...I no longer felt like a man. All of a sudden, football had become the least important thing, precisely because it was the most important: a very painful contradiction. I didn't dare look in the mirror in case my reflection spat back at me. The only possible solution I could think of was to retire."

"There are always lessons to be found in the darkest moments. It's a moral obligation to dig deep and find that little glimmer of hope or pearl of wisdom. You might hit upon an elegant phrase that stays with you and makes the journey that little less bitter. I've tried with Istanbul and haven't managed to get beyond these words: for fuck's sake."

"Ibid [p. 88]"

"Being part of a team that belongs to everyone makes me feel good and at peace with myself. A lot of the time, it's better than sex: it lasts longer and if it all falls flat, it can't just be your fault."

"A ticking timebomb of a madman"

"He says he's slept with 700 women in his time, but he doesn't get picked for Italy any more. Deep down, can he really be happy?"

"He's either playing or he's back at camp. He doesn't do crazy joy, isn't interested in letting his concentration slide. He just can't bear the thought of having left a stone unturned in the quest to win a game. He's also superstitious to a pretty disgusting degree."

"That jackass of a dancer who took the mickey out of us by swaying about on his line"

"Simply put, he crapped. Crapped a hell of a lot. This isn't a bad thing in itself, but the fact he'd do it at the ground, in our dressing room, just before the game, got on our nerves somewhat."

"He must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history"

"He was like an orchestra conductor who'd been assembled upside down, with the baton held by his feet instead of his hands...somebody at Ikea was having a good laugh the day they put him together."

"He's a special kind of medicine, an antidote to the potentially lethal poison of racists you find in Italian grounds."

"His words assault you. They crash through the doors of your mind, often quite violently, and settle deep within you."

"Carlo was like a father and a teacher for me, a kind, friendly man who knew how to make things fun...A big guy with a big personality."

"A Rolex with Swatch batteries. Utterly refined, extremely long lasting."

"He's theatrical and knows exactly what he wants."

"A communist co-op at the heart of a capitalist state."

"When you're in love, it's time you need. When the feeling's gone, having an excuse can help."

"Being a philosopher is to think, seek wisdom and have principles that guide and influence what you do. It's to give meaning to things, find your way in the world, believe that in the end, in every instance, good will overcome evil even if there's a bit of suffering along the way."

"Big name collector cards sell season tickets, but it's the glue they have behind them that wins games. The defence is the most important part of the team: in military terms, success starts in the zone behind the lines."

"A jockey does not have to have been a racehorse."

"Totti is very important, on and off the pitch, for what he has won and for his charisma. He’s an example for everyone to follow, for the young players and for players like me who have arrived from abroad. The fact that he has played his football here for so long is proof of that. It’s always nice to watch him train."

"Because I grew up playing for Roma and I want to die playing for Roma, because I have always been a Roma's fan!"

"Totti is the best player in the world. He has just been a little unlucky in the past."

"Diego Maradona: Totti is the world's number one."

"Michel Platini: Totti is an artist of football, a true Number 10, just like I was."

"There are many star players in Italy, but the only one I would bring to Bayern Munich would be Totti. I know him well and he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or."

"I liked Francesco straight away. Not only as a player but as a person. He is a phenomenon. A rare player. It seems as if when he was born, the heavenly father said: 'Go down there and play football and that's it.' And he did what he was prescribed to do."

"Totti is the god of football. I saw him play when he was 16 and he was a phenomenon, he knew to do everything: passes, shoots, free kicks, penalties."

"I want to compliment Francesco Totti, scoring 206 goals is a great achievement. It does not matter that he has beat me as he is a great player."

"Gianni Rivera: Totti is better than Baggio and Del Piero, even better than me."

"Francesco Totti has probably been the best player in the last decade. His skills, ability, physical strength and intelligence on the pitch made him a symbol for Roma and the whole of Italian football."

"Totti has the technique of a South American and deserved to win a few more trophies with his Roma team. In fact, he also deserved to win the Ballon d’Or. He is an extraordinary player. In Italy it’s not easy for kids to come up through the youth academy and impose themselves on the first team, but he managed it and became the symbol of Roma. Totti manages to think with his feet and would’ve done great things with my Roma side in 1982-83."

"I have never doubted his ability and you can tell he is a real champion."

"Marcello Lippi: "Totti is the monument of Italian football.""

"Totti is the only current player I would've taken on my 1982 World Cup side."

"For me, he is one of the greatest players I have ever seen."

"Only Gigi Riva could kick the ball like him in Italy. But only with his left foot. Totti can use both feet and can hit the ball in several ways. Such champions can shoot ten times per match and eight of them are aimed on target, while five are very dangerous and can turn into a goal. Totti's shooting qualities are unique and they will stay intact for life."

"Giovanni Trapattoni: "Every player has some genius, but there's only one Van Gogh, and there is nobody like Totti.""