Italian former footballer Francesco Totti, a legend of Roma, joked this Monday about a possible return to the pitch, though he made it clear that he would never do so with Lazio. "There have been teams that have called me and made me think... It would be difficult, but never say never," he said during a 'Betsson' event in Monza (north) when asked if he would like to return to professional football. 

"There have been players who have come back after several years, at the end of their careers. It all depends on where you play, but if I were to return to Serie A, I would have to train well," he added with a laugh. The former Roma captain continued joking and assured that he could be ready to play again at 48: "In two or three months, I’d be ready. Half an hour, twenty minutes..." But never with Lazio, the rival of a Roma that is the team of his life: "Lazio would never be an option."

"It all comes from a joke I made in an interview once, saying that there isn’t that much quality, and that I could play again, but don’t go writing articles saying I’m coming back to the pitch, eh..." warned the ex-footballer, anticipating the possible reaction to his words.

Totti took the opportunity to recall the end of his career with Roma seven years ago, a team in which he holds no executive position despite his importance as a player. The strained relationship with the new ownership, the American Friedkin family, made his return difficult. "It wasn’t my decision back then, everyone knows it. Everything has a beginning and an end. But leaving Roma wasn’t my choice," he explained. 

So, while the possibility of seeing Totti back on the field seems distant, his comments stirred up nostalgia among fans and the press, who still remember his impact on Italian football and Roma’s history.