Totti: 'World Cup without Italy like Roma without Colosseum'
Italy is the third richest football background in the World Cup, with 18 appearances including four crowns, equal to Germany and only behind Brazil - the team that won the gold cup five times. But at the last two World Cups, Italy was absent. They lost to Sweden and then North Macedonia when they had to play in the European play-off.
"The World Cup without Italy is like Rome without the Colosseum. That's unusual, and for Italian fans, everything is more than negative," Totti told Sky Sport Italy on November 17, before the ceremony. Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, UAE. "We will still be watching the World Cup, but in a different way. The 2022 World Cup is still a competition between great teams."
When asked about this year's World Cup winners, Totti named five names, including France, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain. But the Italian player said that no candidate really stood out in Qatar this time. "Anything can happen at the 2022 World Cup and having to play until December, you don't know the fitness level of the players," Totti said.
Totti was a Serie A ambassador at the Globe Soccer Awards and attended the ceremony with his new girlfriend Noemi Bocchi. At the gala in Dubai yesterday, Sergio Ramos received the best defender in history, Karim Benzema won the Dubai Golden Ball for the best player of the year, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were honored in the category of players with outstanding careers. , and Mohamed Salah won the Best Player award according to the votes from the fans.
According to Totti, the 2022 World Cup taking place in the middle of the season could affect the championship race in Serie A. Napoli currently holds the unbeaten streak and is firmly at the top with 41 points, 8 points behind the team behind Milan. Totti stressed that other teams have no chance if Napoli maintain this form, and hopes Jose Mourinho will help Roma finish in the top four.
"Milan, Inter and Juventus never give up. So it will be a competitive season until the end. You also have to see how the players come back from the World Cup. But if it remains the same. Maintaining such a stable form, it will be difficult to stop Napoli," said the Italian legend.
In 2017, Totti retired after conflicts with Luciano Spalletti - who led Roma at that time. Spalletti also left Roma at the end of the 2016-2017 season and is the current Napoli coach.
Totti spent all his time playing professionally for Roma. He joined the youth team in 1989, and made his debut with the Roma first team in 1993 at the age of 16. Before playing his last game for Roma on May 29, 2017 at the age of 40, Totti scored 307 goals in 785 matches with the 2000-2001 Serie A champions and won two Italian Cups. At the national team level, he scored 9 goals in 58 games, and was a mainstay of the team that won the 2006 World Cup.
