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Citing a desire to not be the coach that’s guilty of retiring Francesco Totti, Roma’s Luciano Spalletti has threatened to quit if Totti is not offered another one-year contract extension this summer.
The 40-year-old Roman has neither confirmed nor denied a desire to play next season, but the future of the personal embodiment of the club trumps all other focuses, according to Spalletti.
“Don’t ask me about how well my team is doing, ask me about Totti,” said Spalletti following Roma’s 4-1 victory over Torino. “It is only right that his contract is renewed. Totti doesn’t have a contract with this club, he has a pact of love with this city, and this is something that has to continue.
“I will go even further: if they send him away at the end of the season then I am not staying, not even if I win the Treble. I don’t want him to retire while I am the coach.”
Totti made his 11th Serie A appearance of the season on Sunday, registering an assist on Radja Nainggolan’s goal.
While Totti’s minutes have been diminished this season, the captain remains an integral leader on a side that’s second in Serie A, in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia (thanks to his quarterfinal penalty) and thrashed Villarreal 4-0 in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 matchup.
As Totti detailed in his article for The Players’ Tribune, it’s the little things that he appreciates most: training, morning coffee with teammates and the dressing room talk.
Totti will turn 41 in September, and it looks likely that we'll get to see him for another season.
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