No footballer embodies the classic and contemporary Roman style more than Francesco Totti. The Roma manager, Luciano Spalletti, once said it would be “easier to move the Colosseum out of Rome” than move Totti out of Roma. The Roma captain has won the hearts and minds of the people, at least in the yellow and red half of the city. For those of a sky blue persuasion, he has been a scourge, but no less renowned. Totti has faced Lazio in 43 derbies and scored more goals in the derby than any other player. So, in honour of his achievements, and in recognition that this may be his last Derby della Capitale, we decided to trace his evolution through the 11 goals he has scored for Roma against Lazio.
1) Enter Francesco, Lazio 3-3 Roma, 1998-99
It’s a cold November on 1998 and Zdenek Zeman, the Bohemian tactician who was in charge of Lazio just a few months before, is now in the Roma dugout. This inexplicable move across the city set up an even fiercer – and more entertaining – derby than usual. With 12 minutes to play, Lazio were 3-1 up thanks to a brace from Roberto Mancini and a penalty from Marcelo Salas. Totti set up Eusebio Di Francesco to make it 3-2 and then, with only nine minutes left to play, a symbol of the Eternal City was born.
Marco Delvecchio intercepted the ball on the edge of the Lazio box and squared it to Roma’s soon-to-be golden boy. The Lazio defenders scrambled in desperation, but Totti hit the ball into the ground and looped it over the desperate goalkeeper, Luca Marchegiani. Before it had even hit the net, the new prince of Rome was off, running towards the advertising boards, shirt in hand, on his way to to the Curva Sud, to his people.
2) The Purge, Roma 3-1 Lazio, 1998-99
The spectacular finish to the 3-3 draw earlier in the season gave Roma momentum that carried them through this clash. Marco Delvecchio’s brace gave them a 2-0 lead, but, when Christian Vieri scored, it looked as if Lazio might write a comeback story of their own. Totti, however, had caught the bug for the derby and was on a mission.
Some poor defending, a kind bounce and the striker’s instincts allowed him to pounce in the final minutes, giving Roma a 3-1 lead and taking the game beyond Lazio. As the crowd roared the name of their new hero, he removed his shirt to reveal a message to Lazio and their supporters: “Vi ho purgato ancora” (“I have purged you again”). Roma’s new prince was also a prophet. More importantly, the points Roma denied their enemy cost them dearly, as Lazio finished a point behind Milan in the race for the Serie A title.
3) Simply Theatre, Roma 2-0 Lazio, 2001-02
It’s the 93rd minute of the derby, Roma are 1-0 up and the tension is hard to bear in the Stadio Olimpico. How much injury time is there? Will Lazio equalise? Francisco Lima picks up the ball and sprints to the byline. He swings a cross into the penalty area and Lazio’s defenders are static. Nobody seems to move, apart from Totti, whose downwards header bounces into the net.
As the commentator begins his “Gol, Gol, Gol, Gol Goooool,” marathon Totti sets off for the Curva Sud. He is the captain now, the master on and off the pitch, and as he runs towards the stands where he stood as a boy, his emotion gets the better of him. He kicks the Perspex that separates them, almost as if he no longer knew which side he belonged: player or fan? In the glow of the flares – and as the ball boys and players embrace him – Totti turns away, kisses the badge and returns to the pitch.
4) The artist, Lazio 1-5 Roma, 2001-02
Ask any Roma fan about the 5-1 demolition of Lazio and they will start to talk about Totti, which is somewhat incredible considering that Vincenzo Montella scored four of the goals. Montella was the first person in history to score four in the derby and, on 72 minutes, he gave the ball to Totti some 30 yards out, not knowing this simple pass would count as an assist.
Totti adjusted his feet, took the ball forward and looked up. Lazio keeper Angelo Peruzzi was just a little off his line and Totti struck, not with venom, but with beauty and finesse. The chip was perfect. The ball rolled down the net and barely bounced. This was Totti as his best. This wasn’t football anymore; it was art.
5) The Saviour, Lazio 1-1 Roma, 2003-04
Not every goal in every derby can be drenched in meaning and shape the course of a season. Yet Totti seems capable of rising to the occasion in most scenarios. The goal itself was a penalty, struck so hard that it threatened to break the Lazio net. Totti stole the headlines once again, as did his wild celebrations with the camera. Roma finished second that season, 11 points behind Milan, with Totti scoring 20 in all competitions.
6) Primetime, Roma 1-1 Lazio, 2005-06
Roma had not started the 2005-06 campaign well. In their first seven games, they had lost to Udinese, Siena and Empoli, and drawn with Livorno and Cagliari. Only wins over Parma and Reggina saved their blushes. Knocked by their poor start, they again looked to their captain for leadership. Totti went on to score 15 goals in the 2005-06 season, but the ones in the derby always meant the most.
Towards the end of the first half, he pulled the ball out of the air, played a one-two with Montella and was sent through on goal. Lazio keeper Marco Ballotta got a touch on Totti’s poked shot, but the power took it into the roof of the net. The celebrations – always new and imaginative – paid homage to the birth of his new child, much to the satisfaction of his wife Ilary.
7) The free-kick master, Roma 2-0 Lazio, 2010-11
At 36 years of age, Totti’s time looked to be up. He had not scored in the derby for five years and his powers seemed to be waning. This display, however, left Rome open-mouthed as he once again put on a masterclass, bagging a brace. His first goal was almost straight out of the Totti handbook. The ball was rolled to him from a free-kick and, from all of 30 yards out, he rocketed a low strike through the wall and through Lazio keeper, Fernando Muslera. Philippe Mexès deserves some credit for separating the wall, but it was the old maestro who found the gap.
8) The King of Rome, Roma 2-0 Lazio, 2010-11
Totti scored Roma’s second from the penalty spot after Stefano Radu had been sent off (along with Cristian Ledesma for his protests). Once again, the penalty was dispatched with considerable interest and, after a short pause, Totti characteristically disappeared under the Curva Sud with his shirt off. A week later, T-shirts appeared on the streets of the Rome claiming, quite rightly, that “The King of Rome was not dead.”
9) Consistent with Age, Roma 1-1 Lazio, 2012-13
A 2-0 defeat to Palermo in the previous game had knocked Roma, who had been on a good run under Aurelio Andreazzoli after Zeman’s departure a few months earlier. Hernanes had given Lazio an early lead but Roma were awarded a penalty in the 56th minute and there was only one man for the job. Totti stepped up and, instead of smashing the ball high into the top corner, he aimed low and put it comfortably beyond Federico Marchetti.
10) Forever Young, Roma 2-2 Lazio, 2014-15
In the build-up to the match, there was a feeling that this might be one of Totti’s final derbies. The speculation turned some fans nostalgic but it only served to motivate their captain – even not his team-mates. Roma found themselves 2-0 down at half-time but after the restart one man took it upon himself to haul his team back into the game: the oldest man on the pitch. With the half only three minutes old, Totti broke off to the back post, flirting with the offside line, and waited for a cross to be curled in by Kevin Strootman. The cross was perfect and Totti sent the ball back across the keeper and into the opposite corner. The comeback was on.
11) The Selfie, Roma 2-2 Lazio, 2014-15
When Roma fans look back on Totti’s contributions in the derby, this moment will live long in their memories. The ageing superstar, who had been criticised in the build-up to the game, looked like the youngest footballer on the planet. And with Roma trailing, he produced a fairytale moment.
When the ball was lofted in from the left, it looked too far in front of Totti. He had no right to reach it. Yet, despite his years, he stretched forward and connected with the cross beautifully, guiding his volley back across the face of Federico Marchetti and into the net. Totti ran to Roma’s goalkeeping coach, Guido Nanni, who handed him his mobile phone, and the rest is history.
The man thought too old to continue performing at the highest level was like a 17-year-old, preserving the memory by taking a selfie with his people. There, captured in a photograph, was a glimpse of what it feels like to be Francesco Totti in the derby, even if for only a second. More importantly, these two goals took him beyond former Roma players Dino da Costa and Delvecchio in the all-time Derby della Capitale scoring charts and made him the undisputed King of Rome.
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