Totti said: “When you play every three days, you need rest and have to take something off the schedule. I chose to remove the Azzurri, although I do consider it a very important honour to wear that jersey.
“My conscience is clear. I am not trying to distance myself or think I’m better than anyone else because I won the World Cup. I have always talked the matter over with the Coach and staff. I explained that it’s not easy to play when you have a metal plate with 11 screws in your ankle.
“The Nazionale shirt is very important to me. However, at this moment in time I cannot turn my back on Roma, so I preferred doing it this way. In any case, my first choice would always be Roma.”
