Francesco Totti, the Roma legend, refused to give Paulo Dybala the iconic number 10 jersey. In his autobiography, Totti revealed that he was the one who opposed Dybala wearing his historic number. The club had indirectly informed Totti that they wanted to assign the number 10 to Dybala and have him hand it over during the official presentation.
Totti made it clear that it was not a personal issue against Dybala. He stated that he really likes the player, even as a person, and considers him an excellent young man. However, he expressed a desire for a player born in Rome to wear the number 10 jersey. Totti acknowledged that the number 10 has a special weight and would inevitably lead to comparisons with him.
Totti received offers to return to professional football at the age of 48. The Genoa and Como teams attempted to convince him to return to competition. Totti seriously considered returning to the Serie A for several weeks and even underwent an intense training regimen to see if his body could respond. The story was revealed in Oltre, his new autobiography written with Italian journalist Alessandro Alciato.
The question that ultimately settled Totti's doubts was simple: "Can you play for a team that is not Roma?" For Totti, the answer was enough to close the door on a potential return.