Francesco Totti

"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.""

"Dino Zoff: "Totti was without doubt Baggio’s heir. Even then I knew that he had the qualities to be so and his career and his numbers confirm it.""

"Jose Mourinho: You know more than me what Totti means for Roma, for the Serie A, and for his team-mates. I want him to play because he's the best player in the Italian championship in terms of spectacle and quality of play."

"Alex Ferguson: "Of course I know Totti is the fantastic player.""

"Arsene Wenger: "Totti is a top, top class player. He is typical of the Roman game and I’m sure he will never move outside of Roma. He used to play in behind the strikers and then one day they had no central striker so they played him up front and won game after game. He suddenly became the topscorer in Italy as a central striker. That means this guy has absolutely everything. He has a fantastic protection of the ball, he has a quick turn and then he has a very good pass in the final third of the pitch. He can be deadly with every single pass. He will certainly be the most dangerous provider in the final third for them in this game. He is not the only player who can be dangerous but he can open the defence with any pass at any moment of the day if you give him the freedom.""

"Luciano Spalletti: "I agree with Pelé, Totti is the best player in the world.""

"Claudio Ranieri: "Totti is Totti, he is the greatest Italian player and our captain. We will keep him tight. He comes before everything.""

"Carlo Ancelotti: "Totti is a great player who gave so much for Roma and still can give. He is the player who managed the best, especially from the physical point of view, he can remain a very important player to the team.""

"Carlo Mazzone: "Totti? Simply fantastic. I think he is the greatest Roma player of all-time.""

"Cesare Prandelli: "Totti is a great champion.""

"Zdeněk Zeman: "Who are the best five Italian players? Totti, Totti, Totti, Totti, Totti.""

"Roberto Mancini: "Totti is still the number one in Italy and among the first in Europe.""

"Laurent Blanc: "Totti is more than a simple player for Roma. He is outstanding, the team's real standard bearer.""

"Siniša Mihajlović: Totti is a great champion, one of the best players Italy has ever produced, he deserves everything he has earned in the game."

"Pierpaolo Bisoli: "Totti is Totti, a symbol of Italian football.""

"Luiz Felipe Scolari: "Totti is a fantastic player, when you lose a player like him is like losing more than one.""

"Luis Enrique: "He is not only the King of Rome, but of the world. He is unique and it’s a pleasure to have players like Totti in the side.""

"Rudi Garcia: "Francesco is not only a formidable player – a "fuoriclasse" as you say in Italy – but also a man with great qualities outside of football. For me he is one of the very best players in the history of the sport. What I would really love is to win something with him at Roma.""

"Eusebio Di Francesco: "Totti has great football intelligence, experience and seems to have four eyes to spot all potential passes.""

"Totti is someone who can always find the winning moment out of nowhere."

"Roma have the only real world class Italian player left, Francesco Totti."

"Francesco Totti is a champion among the best in the history of Italian football."

"Totti is the greatest player ever to wear Roma jersey."

"Francesco and I grew up together and he is like a little brother to me, My father (Franco Sensi) used to say that he was the son he never had. No-one embodies the spirit of our team better than he does."

"Totti is part of Italy's heritage, in a footballing sense."

"In my opinion he is the most complete player in Italy, followed by De Rossi and Pirlo."

"Florentino Pérez: I spent a lot of money in my life to build a powerful team like Real Madrid, but my desire, I always liked the captain of Roma, Francesco Totti. Unfortunately, it was impossible to reach him because Totti always want to remain with his club and his city."

"Totti is a great player and when he is not there, Roma lose an important resource."

"Above all on the eve of a match like this one, when on the other side, wearing a captain band on his arm, there’s a player like Francesco Totti. If we put together our goals scored, it's over 500. If we sum up the years of career, wearing the same shirt – it comes up to 35. We won the World Cup together and those memories unite us forever""

"Totti is a fantastic player.""

"Totti is always strong, and as a Roman, fights for the team. He makes you feel great, and was a fantastic teammate. He has done a lot of brilliant things for Roma and for the Italian national team. I have always rooted for him."

"Totti is the greatest exponent of the Roman world. He is a player who kids look up to. When the day arrives that he has to retire, it will be hard for Roma and the whole environment there because he is a club emblem."

"When he's in form, Francesco is the best player in the world at his position."

"Totti has written the history of Italian football, with the present and the future. He is a player who can not be doubted."