By: Fala Al-Othman
How do you bid Francesco Totti goodbye?
A farewell ceremony that was more of a funeral…over 80 thousand fans from children to seniors, not an eye has gone dry from the stadium and the die-hard fans behind the screens.
Twenty-eight years of greatness, madness, brilliance was brought to the field. And 18 years for us admiring you 3478 kilometers away. The city of Rome will never be the same. Because when they say Roma we think Totti.
It hit me today that we won’t be witnessing your beautiful compositions and your master pieces on the pitch ever again.
You claim that you’re not a poet, but I’ve seen you write lyrics in the way you score. You say you are not a singer, but I’ve heard the songs you composed across the field.
You are a true artist and one of the few wonders of football.
I woke up this morning feeling empty. It feels like we have lost a childhood friend that we’ve known by heart for 18 years. A friend whom we have admired and adored along the years. We grew together, and with every game you took the pitch, with every assist you made that led to a win.. we fell in love a little bit more. With every free kick you stood, and with every show-stopper heel-kick you made, we fell deeper in love a little bit more.
How do we bid you goodbye? We are mourning as we send you off to the next chapter of your life.
It may sound silly, but you’re family to us. You are the one we don’t mind flying across the country for to watch in awe. Even my Mom who doesn’t watch football knows your name and knows you by face. I never had the privilege of seeing you in person, but that dream of mine will never be removed from my bucket list, because I still hold the hope to run into you one day.
Grazie Capitano, for showing us what love is, what loyalty means, and what respect is all about. Grazie Capitano for bringing pure joy to our living room. A beautiful fairytale that we have to fold now. It aches me to say that the party is over…
