Gerrard: 'Totti is the king of Rome'

By Football Italia staff

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard pays homage to Francesco Totti: 'He's the king of Rome, I'd have loved to play with him'.

The 36-year-old is currently under contract with LA Galaxy, but he spent the vast majority of his career with the Reds. Ahead of tonight's North American friendly between the two European teams, Roma have broadcast an interview from December 2015 in which Gerrard discuss the Ex Pupone.

“Totti is a fantastic technician and a wonderful footballer,” he said. “I respect him a lot because he takes all the pressure on his shoulders with Roma. He's the king of Rome.

“Having played for Liverpool I understand the responsibility and the pressure that come with this role. I've been there and I've seen it with my own eyes.

“To perform consistently for such a long time and stay loyal to Roma like that, really, I've got an awful lot of respect for him. He's certainly a legend over in Italy."

Gerrard then went on to discuss the Giallorossi captain from a more technical point of view.

“I think when you get close to him you realise how strong he is on the ball. He picks up some wonderful positions between the lines.

“I remember playing against him once and the ball was like on a velcro to his boots. He was very skilfull and manoeuvred the ball very well.

“He had vision and could see things on the pitch that others could not see. I met him a couple of times and he seems like a good guy too.

“He's shown incredible loyalty and he deserves all of the respect and the plaudits he gets. I can only add to that.

“It's been a pleasure to compete against him a couple of times. I'd have loved to play on the same team as him, we'd have been on the same wavelength.

“When we signed Alberto Aquilani, he spoke volumes of Totti and [Daniele] De Rossi.”

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