Francesco Totti The Roma legend turns 40 today

Italians seem to have a habit of playing football well into their 40s. Paolo Maldini did it as a mainstay in the AC Milan defence, Dino Zoff won a World Cup doing it, Serie A's all-time topscorer Silvio Piola did it, and now the King of Rome, Francesco Totti, is the latest to pass the milestone.

Despite having 250 Serie A strikes to his name, putting him second behind Piola in the all-time list, a feat even more impressive when you realise he has spent most of the time not playing as an out and out striker, Totti has never received the international adulation he very much deserves.

Once described by Claudio Ranieri as 'more important to Rome than the Colosseum', half of the city will also tell you that without Totti, there is no party. It is difficult to imagine just quite the level of adulation Giallorossi fans have for the player who has been captain of the club for just shy of half his adult life - Totti took the armband at 22 years of age.

However, outside of Rome and Italy it is very much a different story. Totti hasn't received anywhere near as much praise with some even suggesting he is overrated. Particularly in the UK, they just never fell for Totti they way Romans did. Former Manchester United boss Ron Atkinson once said of Er Pupone: "He's a little tw*t, that Totti. I can't see what all the fuss is about."

Maybe if he had gone to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003, Atkinson and many others would understand just exactly why legions of Serie A devotees and ex-pros rave about the magic emanating from the Eternal City. A quick Google search today will bring you a ton of eulogies on Rome's favourite son.

Going back to the Galacticos era of Madrid, when President Florentino Perez was on a mission to buy the world's best player each season - first Luis Figo, then Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham and Fabio Cannavaro. There was one man he never got... Roma's No.10 and it is Totti's one misgiving.

"The Santiago Bernabeu is an amazing stadium," he said after receiving a standing ovation from the Madrid faithful in March this year. "Real Madrid are my only regret."

What could have been? 250 LaLiga goals? Champions League trophies? Domestic titles, and applause from every corner of the planet? Maybe.

Who's to say he wouldn't have in a team surrounded by the aforementioned Galacticos.

Imagine a frontline of Totti, Ronaldo, Raul, with Figo and Zidane a little deeper, Roberto Carlos owning the entire left side, and Beckham's raking crossfield balls. The sheer creativity is stuff of dreams. In the words of Brazil's most famous full-back: "Totti is a Galactico."

Some might say it wouldn't have worked, it would've been imbalanced, Totti and Raul were too similar to play together. However, both were extremely intelligent footballers and flexible enough tactically to occupy a number of positions in the final third yet still be ferociously effective. They could have made it work.

Remember, Totti essentially invented the 'false nine' role - with a little help from Luciano Spalletti of course, and never scored less than 15 goals in a season between 2003 and 2011.

"I have played with legends like Zidane, Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooy and Raul, but nobody understood me like Totti," Antonio Cassano exclaimed of his once Roma teammate. "He was the player I had the most fun with and who got the best out of me."

Operating behind any one of Gabriel Batistuta, Marco Delvecchio or Vincenzo Montella, Totti and Cassano, had an almost clairvoyant artistry about their play. Substitute Ronaldo for Montella et al, Raul for Cassano, and you have one of the best frontlines ever assembled.

Enough Football Manager Legends Edition. (Sports Interactive call me)

Not for a moment would it be wise to suggest that Totti could have relieved the three-year barren spell at the Bernabeu during the Galactico Era - look at Claude Makelele, Vicente Del Bosque and Fernando Hierro for that.

But it would certainly have elevated Totti to another level, he would be talked about in the same breath as Zidane such was/is his ability. One Scudetto just doesn't seem enough.

When people talk about the best to grace the Champions League, Totti should be among those listed. He should be next to Raul, Van Nistelrooy, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the European scoring charts. He has 17 goals.

Totti has carried Roma for his entire career and had the chance to leave it in exchange for worldwide fame, trophies and the biggest club in the world. But there is a feeling, even if, he has a shred of regret, he really doesn't care: "I grew up playing for Roma and I want to die playing for Roma, because I have always been a Roma fan!"