The 40-year-old called time on his Roma career after playing his final match - his 786th appearance. It was the perfect send off for the forward as he came on in the 54th minute to a standing ovation as Roma scored a last minute winner to beat Genoa 3-2 and secure a Champions League group stage spot. And at full-time Totti, along with his team-mates and fans were in tears. Totti's letter in full: Thank you, Rome. Thank you to my mother and father, my brother, my relatives and my friends. Thank you to my wife and to my three children.

GETTY Francesco Totti bid farewell to Roma this evening

"He wanted to emulate Giuseppe Giannini, The Prince. He didn't just emulate him he became The King."



Francesco Totti: A legend departs. ������ pic.twitter.com/QNAp9BOLUu — BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) May 28, 2017

I wanted to start from the end – from the goodbyes – because I don’t know if I’ll be able to read these lines. It is impossible to sum up 28 years in a few sentences. I’d like to do so with a song or poem, but I can’t write any. Over the years, I’ve tried to express myself through my feet, which have made everything simpler for me ever since I was a child. Speaking of childhood, can you guess what my favourite toy was? A football, of course! And it still is today. At some point in life, you grow up – that’s what I’ve been told and that’s what time has decided. Damned time. Back on 17 June 2001, we all wanted time to pass a little more quickly. We couldn’t wait to hear the referee blow the final whistle. I still get goose bumps now when I think back to it. Today, time has come to tap me on the shoulder and say:

Francesco Totti’s emotional farewell to Roma Sun, May 28, 2017 Francesco Totti bid an emotional goodbye to Roma today after 25 years playing for the club Play slideshow EPA 1 of 10 Francesco Totti’s emotional farewell to Roma

Grazie Francesco Totti. ������������������ pic.twitter.com/F0iNRfZ4jO — BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) May 28, 2017

‘We have to grow up. As of tomorrow, you’ll be an adult. Take off those shorts and boots because starting today, you are a man. You can no longer enjoy the smell of the grass, the sun on your face as you bear down on the opposition’s goal, the adrenaline consuming you, the joy of celebrating.’ Over the past few months, I’ve asked myself why I’m being awoken from this dream. Imagine you’re a child having a good dream… and your mother wakes you up to go to school. You want to keep dreaming… you try to slip back into the dream but you never can. This time, it’s not a dream, but reality. And I can no longer slip back in. I want to dedicate this letter to all of you – to all the children that have supported me. To the children of yesterday, who have grown up and become parents and to the children of today, who perhaps shout ‘Tottigol’. I’d like to think that for you, my career has become a fairytale for you to pass on. It’s really over now.

GETTY Francesco Totti salutes the Roma crowd

GETTY Francesco Totti celebrates with his Roma team-mates at full-time