World Cup winner and one-club legend, 48, rolls back the years with stunning goal from HALFWAY line

The Sun

3 hours ago

WORLD CUP winner Francesco Totti showed class is permanent with a stunning goal from the HALFWAY LINE.
The Italian football legend was starring in an amateur game organised by Operazione Nostalgia in Parma.
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Totti, 48, was one of several former stars who featured in the game, including the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Javier Zanetti, Adriano and Hristo Stoichkov.
But it was the Roma icon who made the headlines as he scored from the middle of the pitch.
With just over 20 minutes on the clock, Totti received the ball just inside the centre circle after having the ball played to him from the right side.
The bouncing trajectory of the ball saw Totti control it with the outside of his right boot and direct it in front of him.
However, after just one bounce Totti did the unthinkable and smashed the ball towards goal with his right foot on the halfway line.
The marksman had noticed former Parma and Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey off his line when he lashed the ball forwards.
Frey was backpedalling frantically but had to jump to try and stop the ball from sailing into the net.
However, Totti's shot had directed itself to the very top corner of the goal and there was ultimately nothing the Frenchman could do to keep it out as it snuck just under the bar.
Frey managed to get fingertips to it, but only pushed in onto the woodwork before it hit the back of the 45-year-old and fell into the net as the goalie stumbled into the side netting.
A huge roar went up from the crowd as they took to their feet to give Totti a standing ovation for the brilliant effort.
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Totti's team-mates rushed to him to celebrate the extraordinary goal, with one of them seen jumping on his back.
Even Frey, despite his humiliation of conceding from the halfway line, had to respect the audacity of the strike and was seen with a wide smile as he emerged from the goal.
The clash between the two teams, with Totti's Rabona coming up against Sombrero, ended with 14 goals as the match ended 7-7.
One-club man Totti retired from professional football in 2017.
However, the Serie A icon had joked he could still play at the top level and revealed one club - believed to be Cesc Fabregas ' Como - had tried to coax him back into playing.
Totti had said: "No, it's not a joke. I took it a bit seriously, so let's see. There are one or two teams who have asked about me.
"Let's see what my head tells me, but above all my body. Let's see how it reacts.
"My head already knows the answer. Who knows what next year will bring."
Totti scored 307 goals in 786 club appearances for the Giallorossi, while adding nine goals in 58 Caps for Italy, including one on route to the Jules Rimet in 2006.
While Totti's goal record could arguably have been better, he had a more than stellar assist record with the national team with 25, including four at the World Cup in 2006 - two of which came in the quarter-finals.
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