Francesco Totti’s son has stunned fans after making the decision to retire from soccer at 19-years-old, but why did Crisitan Totti call it quits?
Why Did Francesco Totti’s Son Retire?
At just 19-years-old, Cristian Totti has decided to hang up his soccer cleats and end his days as a professional player, as the Italian diverts his focus away from being a player.
According to reports, the teenager did not enjoy the pressure and spotlight that came his way as being the son of a Serie A and Roma legend Francesco Totti took its toll.
During a stellar professional career, Totti scored 250 goals in 619 Serie A appearances for Roma, being a one-club man and winning a Scudetto, two Coppa Italias and two Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
Club achievements were not the only jewel in Totti’s career crown, winning the World Cup with Italy in 2006 and the Azzurri icon also won the Roma player of the year award five times.
Totti is regarded as Roma’s best player of all-time, becoming a club icon at the club which recently celebrated its 98th year of existence and the club icon was present for the celebrations.
Living up to this level of success was never going to be easy, facing huge media attention and expectation, but it was the personal attacks that brought Cristian’s career to an end.
The media turned their attention to Cristian Totti’s personal life, revealing the youngster’s partner and recently criticizing Totti’s physique during the off-season.
The latter appeared to be the final straw, as Cristian recently revealed that he will be quitting from the sport in a short, yet extremely impactful statement.
Cristian Totti said: “I can’t say anything. Yes, I’m quitting, I made this choice.”
Following his retirement, Cristian has decided to stay in the sport but focus on a coaching role, as the teenager begins a new job at the Totti Soccer School.
Marco Amelia, who played alongside Francesco Totti at the 2006 World Cup and coached Cristian at Frosinone, revealed that the teenager could have enjoyed a strong career in Italy – but his last name held too much weight.
He said: “I think he would have had a great career ahead of him as a player in Serie C and Serie B. Being Totti’s son had an impact on his evaluations.”
How Good Was Cristian Totti?
Calling a day on your professional career is certainly a unique decision, especially with the talent that Cristian Totti possesses – but how good was Francesco Totti’s son?
After making his way up the ranks in Rome, the Italian started to feature for the U17/18 sides, accumulating 10 appearances before joining the youth step-up in Frosinone in August 2023.
The youngster failed to find his feet in the Italian comune, making just five appearances and leaving during the 2024 January transfer window, signing for his first team out of Italy – Rayo Vallecano.
Unfortunately, Cristian did not make a single appearance for the Spanish side and returned to Italy just six months later, signing for Olbia in August 2024.
After six appearances for the Italian side, Totti parted ways with Olbia in December last year and after a couple of months without a club he decided to end his time within the sport.
There had been rumors of a return to Frosinone, who are one of the favorites to be relegated from Serie C on a host of betting apps, but no deal could be agreed.
