Francesco Totti sits next to his son Cristian as they attend the Rome ATP Tennis Open tournament on May 16, 2017 at the Foro Italico in Rome. (Getty)
Francesco Totti’s eldest son is a prodigy in Roma’s youth system, will he follow in his father’s footsteps at the Stadio Olimpico? Cristian Totti was born just month after his mother and father were married in a televised wedding ceremony during the summer of 2005. He’s been followed since by a sister, Chanel, born in 2007, and another bambino, Isabel, born in 2016. Though Totti has said publicly that Cristian wants a brother, to their family could be set to grow even further as Roma’s captain enters retirement.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Cristian’s Mother Doesn’t Like the Attention Surrounding Her Son
After Cristian finished as the top scorer for a Roma youth team in an April 2017 tournament, his mother took the opportunity to be protective. Ilary Blasi told Gazzetta Dello Sport, “I don’t like the attention surrounding my son, Cristian. It is not right that a baby should have to carry such a weight of expectation. Had he been born with a different nickname no one would have followed him.”
His mother knows all about Cristian’s problems considering she was a child star in Italy. Her start in entertainment came when her mother’s friends talked about an commercial audition that required a blonde girl. Blasi got the part. The ad was for Italian cake Panettone. As she got older, Blasi turned to modeling, even posing nude in her early days. In 1998, Blasi competed in Miss Italy at age 17 but didn’t win. Since then, Blasi has hosted many different TV shows in her homeland, notably on MTV. The Guardian referred to Blasi as a “pneumatic gameshow host” in pre-World Cup 2006 feature on player’s wives.
2. Cristian Faced Off Against Lazio For the First Time at Age 9
Cristian Totti’s mother Ilary Blasi. (Getty)
At age 9 in November 2014, young Cristian did what his father has made a career out of, defeating Lazio. His under-9 team won 3-1 with Cristian scoring the third goal.
3. The Mayor of Rome Announced Cristian’s Birth
Totti with his son in 2007 as the No.10 receives the Golden Shoe award as Italy’s best player. (Getty)
Cristian Totti was born in Rome in November 2005. The Guardian reported at the time that his father was away with Roma winning a game in Sicily at the time. The newspaper adds that the child’s birth was announced by the mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, who said, “This is a great boost to our city.”
4. Totti Says: ‘My Son Is Good But Not as Good as Me’
Family friend Walter Veltroni interviewed Totti in October 2016 and one of the topics was Cristian Totti. His father said of his son:
He’s good, he’s improved. He was a bit more playful before, just thinking about enjoying himself. He does still have a lot of fun; I know what he does with his time. I see a bit of myself in him. He’s now showing more desire, more passion. He likes the game. He goes training and goes to play more regularly, and I can see that he likes it. He’s good, but not as good as his dad when he was young.
When pushed about whether or not Totti would want his son to become a professional, the No. 10 said, “On the one hand yes, but on the other, no.”
5. Totti Says That He Is Being Forced Out of Roma
As Totti prepared for his final game, it’s being widely reported that he is being forced out of Roma. At least, that’s what the legend told his team mates at an end-of-season dinner on May 25. Totti allegedly told his team mates, “These have been complicated, difficult months. I would have liked to help you all more, but you know how things went. Now they’ve forced me to stop, and I can’t even think of myself not wearing the Roma shirt anymore. Anyway, thanks to all of you for your kindness.”
Grazie ragazzi! 😀⚽️
Roma are preparing to offer Totti a job in the team’s administration after his retirement. The official website report on the Totti dinner did not mention his assertions.
Totti’s problems with Roma’s management were likely not helped in September 2016 when Blasi referred to Roma coach Luciano Spalletti as a “little man” in a Gazzetta Dello Sport interview. Blasi said, “I do not know anything about football, but the whole situation was surreal. It was like science fiction, I could not believe it. He was kicked out of his own house. You do not do something like this. But the fans did not abandon him.”
Totti had been dropped upon Spaletti’s return to Roma after insinuating in an interview that the pair did not get along. Roma legend Carlo Mazzone has backed up Blasi’s assertions about Spaletti. Though Blasi later said that her difference with Spaletti had been patched up.
