My dad was a World Cup-winning one-club legend, now I’m making my own way in a different country

CRISTIAN TOTTI is making his own way as he looks to live up to the legend of his famous Dad, Francesco.

Like his father, Cristian is a forward that came through the ranks at Roma, but their career arcs have already branched apart.

AP

Francesco Totti with his daughters Isabel, Chanel, ex-wife Ilary and son Cristian as he saluted fans after his final Roma game[/caption]

Getty

Francesco and his son Cristian took in a Roma game against Bayer Leverkusen in 2023[/caption]

While Francesco spent his entire career in the Eternal City, Cristian left for pastures new when he turned 18, joining Frosinone’s youth side.

After making three appearances in Serie A‘s youth league, the Primavera, Cristian has made an eye catching loan transfer to Rayo Vallecano.

Vallecano, the suburban Madrid side overshadowed by the much more famous Real, are renowned for their brand of direct attacking football in LaLiga.

They were managed by Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola until the start of this season, and his replacement, Francisco Rodriguez, has the club sat mid-table in the league on a shoestring budget.

Even in joining the club, there is an echo of Cristian’s father’s past.

Francesco Totti wrote in The Observer that a move to Madrid that was mooted in 2005 would have made him the highest paid player in the world by some distance.

He said that it was the most his loyalties to Roma had ever been tested in his career, but that he ultimately chose to remain loyal to his boyhood club – where he would retire as a one-club man in 2017.

Totti Snr won one scudetto with Roma in 2001, and memorably won the World Cup with a star-studded Italy team in 2006.

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Cristian is not the only son of an Italian World Cup legend to be playing in LaLiga right now, with Alessandro Del Piero’s son, Tobias, playing for Getafe.

According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, Francesco has been accompanying his son to training every day while he settles in Vallecano.

Cristian is expected to play the majority of his football with Vallecano’s youth team, rather than the first-team – having never made a senior appearance in his career.

Vallecano do have some recognisable Premier League representation in their squad, with former Manchester United winger Bebe being one of the club’s talismen.