Francesco Totti Wanted To Miss A Penalty In His Final Game For Roma

After 786 games and 307 goals in the famous Roma colours, Francesco Totti broke the hearts of millions when he waved goodbye to I Giallorossi.

In a thrilling 3-2 victory against Genoa, the Italian forward was handed the captain's armband by Daniele De Rossi after coming on as a second half substitute.

But when all was said and done, the game was overshadowed by his inevitable goodbye.

Totti took his final bow and it was an evening of huge emotions, but things could have been very different during the 90 minutes, according to Roma teammate Juan Jesus, who revealed something quite extraordinary days later.

Jesus claimed that the Italian planned to miss a penalty during the game. Why? Because he wanted to send the ball into the crowd as a gesture to thank Roma fans for their support during his time at the club.

During a radio interview in Brazil, Jesus said the following about Totti's final bow:

"Before his last game, Totti told us that if he had a penalty he would not score and he would send the ball to the tifosi."

If you think about it, Totti would have only missed the penalty if the tie was done and dusted.

The win against Genoa was vital in the club's quest for Champions League qualification, so would he have put that into jeopardy by missing a penalty? Who knows.

That being said, what a gesture it would have been. If you needed proof that Totti is a class act, then this is it.

Moments after the game had finished, cameras panned toward the Italian legend as he paid his final farewell, and much like many of his teammates, and fans, he struggled to hold back the tears.

Totti did a lap around the famous pitch and the rest is history, but it has since emerged that he wrote an emotional message on the match ball before he headed to the changing room for the final time.

The note reads: "I will miss you." - a poignant message of how much the striker loved this beautiful game

25 seasons with a single shirt, 786 appearances, 307 goals. Happy 43rd birthday, Francesco.

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Topics: Football News, Football, Serie A, AS Roma, Penalty, Francesco Totti

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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