Totti and Roma at odds over commercial rights to the No. 10 shirt

Aldair, Bruno Conti, Candela and many others shared birthday messages for Francesco Totti, with Zago, the 2001 Serie A championship-winning hero, offering a humorous story to Il Messaggero about their time as teammates. When Zago first arrived at Roma, he shared a room with Totti during the early days of pre-season training. "In the middle of the night he started shouting 'give me the ball, give me the ball'. I got scared and the next day I asked Vito Scala if that was normal, and he explained to me that Totti often talks while he sleeps. It happened other times but by then I was prepared," Zago recalled. The anecdote reveals Totti's single-minded focus on football — so consuming that it followed him even into his dreams.

Francesco Totti has reflected on his 50th birthday in a lengthy letter to Il Messaggero, expressing pride in his career spent entirely at AS Roma. "I turn around and see my adventure as a young man and then as a man at Roma and I consider myself satisfied," he wrote. "I achieved a dream, my dream—that of a Roman who managed to play only for his city's team, wearing the captain's armband. Few can boast of such a thing. For this reason a couple of years ago I said no to a return to playing." On reaching the milestone, Totti said: "Yesterday when I blew out the candles for my 50th, I said to myself: But really? If I'm being honest, I don't feel them. It's probably because I keep myself in shape with padel and some five-a-side football. Mentally, though, I always have half of it—25."

Francesco Totti's path back to AS Roma is blocked by an unresolved financial dispute over the sale of shirts bearing his name and number 10, with negotiations between the club and the former captain's representatives having failed three times in recent months. The most recent talks took place less than a month ago, with the club represented by new chief executive Galantic, but resulted in further distance rather than progress. The core issue is not the allocation of the number 10 jersey itself, but money: since Totti retired from playing in 2018, Roma has continued to sell shirts with his name and number across the back, generating significant revenue without paying him any royalties. In the 2025–26 season alone, approximately 15,000 Totti shirts were sold. The cumulative figure from 2018 to now runs to several hundred thousand units. Before any agreement on Totti's future role within the organisation can be reached, this commercial dispute must be resolved. The club's recent rebranding decision to return to the traditional AS Roma crest has reignited discussion about welcoming back the legendary figure, but the financial disagreement over shirt sales remains the central obstacle. Without clarity on how past and future revenue from Totti merchandise will be handled, the club and the former number 10 have been unable to move forward.