Cristian, son of Francesco Totti, announces retirement at 19

Cristian, son of AS Roma legend Francesco Totti, announced his retirement from football at the age of 19 on Monday.

Though he gave no official reason for the decision, several media reports have claimed that the pressure of being a legend’s son weighed too much on him.

Totti, a FIFA World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, spent his entire career at AS Roma, playing over 780 matches and scoring 307 goals.

He won the Serie A once and the Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana twice with the side, earning the nickname L’Ottavo Re di Roma (the eighth King of Rome) from the club’s fans.

Cristian, however, had a different trajectory in professional football.

Cristian’s most recent experiences included short spells with Avezzano & Olbia in Italy’s fourth division. | Photo Credit: Instagram/cristiantotti__

He began his youth career at Roma but limited game-time — 15 minutes across two U18 — saw him move to Frosinone Primavera, where he scored once in four matches.

He then had a brief spell at Rayo Vallecano in Spain, while his most recent experiences included short spells with Avezzano & Olbia in Italy’s fourth division.

However, he constantly remained under heavy criticism — especially body shaming — on social media, with some calling him Captain Salsiccia (Captain Sausage).

“He was treated like dirt because he’s the son of Francesco and Ilary (Blasi),” Ninni Corda, the technical director of Olbia, had told Sportitalia in an earlier interview.

Cristian, however, will not be away from football entirely. He will now work at the Totti Soccer School, founded by his father.

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