Totti at 50: Milan would have been his choice if he'd left Roma; reveals Castro tip to Gasperini

AS Roma marked Francesco Totti's birthday with a 42-second video message on social media, a gesture that underscores the distance between the club and its former captain. The post carried only the slogan "Happy birthday Francesco"—a brief acknowledgment of a player who scored 307 goals and made 786 appearances in the Giallorossi shirt throughout his career, the only colours he ever wore as a player. The coldness of the greeting reflects the wider chill in Roma's relationship with Totti under Friedkin Group ownership. Where previous management pushed him out, the current regime keeps him at a remove—even as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has reportedly made clear he sees Totti as a resource rather than a burden. According to the article, Gasperini has discussed Totti's views on squad needs, including advice he offered: "I suggested Castro, a winger and a midfielder." Santiago Castro is currently used as a deputy to Donyell Malen. Despite Gasperini's support, the Friedkin ownership remains silent on any formal role for Totti, reportedly delegating peripheral matters to CEO Galantic—a figure who had only marginal contact with Totti during John Friedkin's time on Pallotta's board. The article notes that the ownership has expressed a wish to see Totti placed in a football governance role alongside Giovanni Malagò, though such an arrangement remains unresolved.

Francesco Totti, who turns 50 today, has disclosed in his new book Oltre that he personally recommended Santiago Castro to head coach Gian Piero Gasperini during a dinner in March. Castro, the Argentine forward who arrived this summer for €35 million from Bologna, was one of three players Totti suggested to Gasperini at that meeting. Totti told Gasperini: "I recommended an attacker to you, Castro, a winger and a midfielder." Gasperini's response was positive on the forward, saying: "Castro I really like too, I think we see football the same way." The coach also noted concerns about one of the other suggestions, saying: "The winger costs a lot, I hadn't thought about the midfielder and it wouldn't be a bad idea." The book also covers other moments from Totti's life, including a clash with Spalletti, the beginning of his relationship with Noemi, and the possibility of a return to Roma.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino paid tribute to Francesco Totti on his 50th birthday with a social media post celebrating the Roma legend's unparalleled connection to the club and his place in global football. Infantino's message highlighted Totti's dual legacy: his entire career devoted to Roma and his role as a 2006 FIFA World Cup champion with Italy. The FIFA President described Totti's bond with Roma as transcending conventional hierarchy. "For Roma you are more than a king, a king who comes from the people," Infantino wrote. "For Italy you are one of the magnificent Champions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Two stories, one heart." Infantino added that Totti's influence would endure beyond time and place, and compared his artistry to that of a master chef in football. "You have done the spoon: you were a wonderful chef of football. Like you, in history, very few flags in the world," Infantino concluded in his birthday message. "Happy birthday, dear Francesco Totti."

AS Roma marked Francesco Totti's birthday with a 42-second video message on social media, a gesture that underscores the distance between the club and its former captain. The post carried only the slogan "Happy birthday Francesco"—a brief acknowledgment of a player who scored 307 goals and made 786 appearances in the Giallorossi shirt throughout his career, the only colours he ever wore as a player. The coldness of the greeting reflects the wider chill in Roma's relationship with Totti under Friedkin Group ownership. Where previous management pushed him out, the current regime keeps him at a remove—even as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has reportedly made clear he sees Totti as a resource rather than a burden. According to the article, Gasperini has discussed Totti's views on squad needs, including advice he offered: "I suggested Castro, a winger and a midfielder." Santiago Castro is currently used as a deputy to Donyell Malen. Despite Gasperini's support, the Friedkin ownership remains silent on any formal role for Totti, reportedly delegating peripheral matters to CEO Galantic—a figure who had only marginal contact with Totti during John Friedkin's time on Pallotta's board. The article notes that the ownership has expressed a wish to see Totti placed in a football governance role alongside Giovanni Malagò, though such an arrangement remains unresolved.

Francesco Totti, who turns 50 today, has disclosed in his new book Oltre that he personally recommended Santiago Castro to head coach Gian Piero Gasperini during a dinner in March. Castro, the Argentine forward who arrived this summer for €35 million from Bologna, was one of three players Totti suggested to Gasperini at that meeting. Totti told Gasperini: "I recommended an attacker to you, Castro, a winger and a midfielder." Gasperini's response was positive on the forward, saying: "Castro I really like too, I think we see football the same way." The coach also noted concerns about one of the other suggestions, saying: "The winger costs a lot, I hadn't thought about the midfielder and it wouldn't be a bad idea." The book also covers other moments from Totti's life, including a clash with Spalletti, the beginning of his relationship with Noemi, and the possibility of a return to Roma.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is ready to feature for Roma at Como after six months away from competitive football, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini considering deploying him as a lone attacking midfielder behind two front strikers. Facing Como's organised four-man defence under Cesc Fàbregas, Gasperini has identified a specific tactical solution: positioning Pellegrini in the space between Como's midfield and back line, where the Roma captain can operate as a difficult-to-mark presence. Two opposing centre-backs cannot push forward aggressively without ceding depth to Roma's two forwards, while Como's midfielders risk being caught between lines and forced to cover ground without the ball. The role demands more than creative finishing or the final pass to forwards — whether the pairing of Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala or the option of Santiago Castro from the start. Pellegrini must provide the aggression and positional awareness essential in the defensive phase. As a central attacking midfielder, the Roma captain becomes the first player tasked with pressing Como's initial build-up, screening the opposition playmaker and disrupting their play from the back. A 3-4-1-2 formation would offer Pellegrini a dual responsibility: playmaker when Roma regains possession, and first line of defence when closing space is needed. The shape appears tailored specifically for the trip to the Stadio Sinigaglia.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini brushed off criticism after the national team's loss to Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico, ahead of tomorrow's Nations League fixture against Turkey in Turkey. Mancini said in a press conference: "The criticism does not touch me, there is too much agitation, let's stay calm. With Turkey I will make changes to evaluate other players. Anyway, no one would have played four matches in close succession. There are cycles, and unfortunately Italy is going through one like this, without a generation with Totti, Del Piero and people like that. We only need time to work and put together a competitive squad. Nothing else." Gianluca Mancini, the Roma defender, was left out of the squad for the match, while Daniele Ghilardi of Roma is included and hopes to find playing time during the game.

Gianluca Mancini will not travel with Italy for the Nations League match against Turkey on 28 September, with Italy manager Roberto Mancini electing to rest ten squad members at the federations's training base. The fixture kicks off at 20:45 at the Atatürk Spor Kompleksi in Bursa and is managed by Vincenzo Montella's side. The decision to keep the group in Italy reflects the coaching staff's wish to manage workload and avoid an arduous intercontinental journey ahead of further international fixtures. Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi, however, remains in the full list of travelling players. Mancini's rotation strategy is designed to prepare the squad optimally for upcoming matches against France in Paris and a second meeting with Turkey in Bologna, while sparing the entire squad the fatigue of travel to Bursa. The ten players held back at the Coverciano training centre comprise Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Barella, Diego Coppola, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Daniel Maldini, Gianluca Mancini, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci and Mohamed Alì Zoma. They will follow a targeted training programme under members of the technical, medical and performance staff, including Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari and Luca Bossi.

Gianluca Mancini will not travel with Italy for their fixture against Turkey, with national team coach Roberto Mancini deciding to leave ten players at the Coverciano training centre to continue work there. Mancini joins Ahanor, Barella, Coppola, Inacio, Kouadio, Maldini, Pessina, Ricci and Zoma in staying behind. The decision reflects uncertainty over Mancini's starting place in Italy's defensive line. Coach Roberto Mancini is considering substantial changes to the back four following matches against Belgium, Turkey and France, with Di Lorenzo, Mancini and Coppola potentially replaced by Kayode, Scalvini and Bastoni, the latter returning from suspension. Back at Roma, the fixture list after the international break presents a demanding challenge: seven matches in 23 days beginning with the away trip to Como, followed by Real Madrid, Genoa, Slovan Bratislava, Napoli, Cagliari and Udinese. This run will test both Roma's ambitions and the depth of Gasperini's squad. Roma's trip to Bologna on 4 December is under observation by the ONMS owing to a Virtus Bologna Euroliga match against Partizan Belgrade scheduled the same day; the proximity of the basketball arena and the Dall'Ara stadium, just over 2 kilometres apart, raises concerns about contact between supporter groups, though a final decision will come later. The trip to Como faces no such issues.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini brushed off criticism after the national team's loss to Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico, ahead of tomorrow's Nations League fixture against Turkey in Turkey. Mancini said in a press conference: "The criticism does not touch me, there is too much agitation, let's stay calm. With Turkey I will make changes to evaluate other players. Anyway, no one would have played four matches in close succession. There are cycles, and unfortunately Italy is going through one like this, without a generation with Totti, Del Piero and people like that. We only need time to work and put together a competitive squad. Nothing else." Gianluca Mancini, the Roma defender, was left out of the squad for the match, while Daniele Ghilardi of Roma is included and hopes to find playing time during the game.

Gianluca Mancini will not travel with Italy for the Nations League match against Turkey on 28 September, with Italy manager Roberto Mancini electing to rest ten squad members at the federations's training base. The fixture kicks off at 20:45 at the Atatürk Spor Kompleksi in Bursa and is managed by Vincenzo Montella's side. The decision to keep the group in Italy reflects the coaching staff's wish to manage workload and avoid an arduous intercontinental journey ahead of further international fixtures. Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi, however, remains in the full list of travelling players. Mancini's rotation strategy is designed to prepare the squad optimally for upcoming matches against France in Paris and a second meeting with Turkey in Bologna, while sparing the entire squad the fatigue of travel to Bursa. The ten players held back at the Coverciano training centre comprise Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Barella, Diego Coppola, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Daniel Maldini, Gianluca Mancini, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci and Mohamed Alì Zoma. They will follow a targeted training programme under members of the technical, medical and performance staff, including Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari and Luca Bossi.

Gianluca Mancini will not travel with Italy for tomorrow's Nations League match against Turkey in Bursa, as coach Roberto Mancini has excluded ten players from the squad to avoid the costly journey. The fixture kicks off at 20:45 CET at the Atatürk Spor Kompleksi and follows Italy's defeat to Belgium at the Olimpico on Friday. Roma defender Gianluca Mancini is among those held back, though fellow Roma squad member Daniele Ghilardi has been included in the travelling party. The ten excluded players will undertake a tailored training programme at the Italian Football Federation's technical centre in Coverciano instead. Italy's next fixture after Turkey is a match in Paris against France, before the sides meet again in Bologna. The decision reflects Roberto Mancini's desire to manage preparation carefully and spare the full squad an arduous trip to Turkey. The FIGC issued an official statement explaining the arrangement: "With the objective of managing preparation best ahead of matches against France in Paris and Turkey again in Bologna, and not subjecting the whole squad to a demanding transfer to Turkey, coach Roberto Mancini has decided to organise a specific training programme at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano for Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Barella, Diego Coppola, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Daniel Maldini, Gianluca Mancini, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci and Mohamed Alì Zoma, providing them with part of the technical and performance staff (Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari and Luca Bossi), as well as medical and physiotherapy support."