Solar eclipse captivates Roma fans with yellow and red sky display

Francesco Totti turned 50 yesterday and reflected on five decades as a Roma player and Roman in a personal letter published on his birthday. Writing from abroad, where he is observing the occasion across two time zones, Totti said: 'I've coronated a dream, my dream — that of a Roman who managed to play only for his city's team, wearing the captain's armband. We are few who can boast such a thing.' He recalled his childhood playing with his brother Riccardo at the Caracalla Baths, initially in goal because he was the smallest, before switching to attack when needed. Totti declined a return to playing around two years ago, describing himself as tempted but ultimately guided by his bond with the city, the club and the supporters. 'I would perhaps have been selfish, made Francesco happy but disappointed millions of fans,' he wrote. Now at 50, he assessed his dual legacy with satisfaction: 'I can consider myself content in both cases — as a footballer and as a father. I have three wonderful children who make me proud every day, and in football I've done something. I won a World Cup I wasn't even supposed to play in, and above all a Serie A title that means everything to me, born as I was in Porta Metronia.' Totti joked about his mental age, saying: 'I don't feel them at all. Perhaps because I keep myself in shape with padel and the occasional football match. Mentally, though, I've only ever had half — 25.' He recalled the emotional experience of passing the mural on the lateral wall of the Pascoli school opposite the Romulea pitch on via Sibari: 'It's a feeling you cannot explain. You can only live it. As a Roman and a Roma supporter.'

Two artists have created murals across Rome to celebrate Francesco Totti's 50th birthday today. Artist Harry Grab painted a mural depicting the Roma legend wearing the 2001 Serie A-winning shirt, with a "50" patch on the sleeve and the club's former crest under his arm. Alessandra Francesca Coppola, known as Sagomato66, shared a separate mural at San Callisto on social media with the message "Happy birthday Capità". Both works have drawn widespread praise and comment on social media from fans celebrating the former Roma captain.

Francesco Totti celebrated his 50th birthday on 27 September, a date that has held special significance for Roma and its supporters since 1976. The milestone sparked an outpouring of global affection across social media from the moment of midnight, despite Totti and his family being in Las Vegas for celebrations and dealing with time-zone complications. Among those offering congratulations was FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who published several photographs of the Roma legend alongside a lengthy tribute: "Roma, the Azzurri, and then that's it, and it's more than enough. Your everything, an unconditional love, at times sweet, sometimes rebellious, always pure, untouchable. Indissoluble, enormous." Totti spent 25 years wearing the same Roma shirt, a period that made him a unifying figure across generations of supporters. In an interview, he addressed the subject of a potential return to the club, stating that the move never happening is not a sore point: "The missed return to Roma is not a raw nerve." The date marks a significant moment not only for Totti himself but for the entire giallorosso world, which has long viewed his birthday as a special occasion comparable to a major celebration.