In Rome’s long, glorious history, there have been many emperors whose legacy and heritage lives up to this day. The last known king, cheered by tens of thousands of his lifelong followers – has made this particular day, 4 September- more special than any other.It was the day he was crowned in the middle of the modern-day-gladiators arena of the Eternal City. Still, unlike his predecessors, he was instantly given a chance to be much more than a die-hard entertainer, more than a genuine fighter like hundreds of those before him who wore the same red and orange clothes. 4th September 1994. #Roma vs #Foggia. Francesco Totti somehow finds a route through the bodies of the Foggia defence to score his first Serie A goal. pic.twitter.com/jrNcibYB8c— Culture of Football Classics (@CFclassics) September 4, 2021 However, he simply couldn’t be a prince since the vacancy was already occupied. He could only be heading for the most significant role of all – to be The King.That was Francesco Totti’s destiny with AS Roma and the city of Rome, which is divided into two between Totti’s club and SS Lazio. And while Lazio were lacking those outstanding figures and club legends, Roma already had its own prince – Guiseppe Giannini. A deep-lying playmaker spent most of his career with Giallorossi and was much-loved for his versatility and attacking style of play.The Prince… Giannini in action for Roma (©Gallo images))But what Roma fans didn’t know is that Giannini will soon be forgotten thanks to the emergence of his superb successor. The two of them even shared the pitch during two seasons, following the tradition of some medieval kingdoms that used to pair up the current with the future emperor.Totti made his debut very early, at the age of only 16, when Vujadin Boskov gave him his maiden chance against Brescia in March 1993. He had to wait for the first goal until 4 September 1994. Then-offspring Totti banged it inside the box against Foggia to break the deadlock, but the match ended in a stalemate.𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 ⚽️ | 💛👑❤️ A teenage Francesco Totti scores his first-ever goal for the Giallorossi! #ASRoma | #OnThisDay in 1994 📅 pic.twitter.com/ktlMN97n3P— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) September 4, 2021 Albeit Roma didn’t win, their victory was worth much more than a point or three. They got themselves a new, natural-born leader who will spend the entirety of his 25-years-long fruitful career with Roma and become the club’s legend. Much bigger than Giannini himself.Totti played an impressive 619 games for the Giallorossi, scoring as much as 250 goals in all competitions. He led Roma to the Serie A title in 2001 and countless victories in the Derby Della Capitale (against Lazio). Also, he played a crucial role in Italy’s 2006 FIFA World Cup win, which was his last performance on the international stage.🗓—September 4, 1994 Francesco Totti scored his first goal for Roma. He went on to score 307 for the club in his legendary career 👑 pic.twitter.com/qwADt6N9CT— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 4, 2021 This King will never be dead. Long live The King.
