What if Lionel Messi had spent 25 years at Roma?! Francesco Totti makes Ballon d'Or claim about Argentina legend as he defends decision to snub Real Madrid

Francesco Totti is revered as a football icon, not just for the fact that he was an incredibly talented athlete, but also because he spent his entire 25-year playing career at Roma. Indeed, the Italian legend has no regrets about turning down the chance to play for Real Madrid. He would aslo argue that Lionel Messi likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to win as many Ballon d'Or awards as he has, had he spent his entire career at Roma.

Totti, in his autobiography titled 'Gladiator', revealed that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was eager to sign him since 2001 and make him the world's highest-paid player. However, he wasn't in the least enticed by the lucrative offer from the Spanish giants, with his love for the city of Rome and its biggest club, Roma, stopping him from moving on.

Speaking on the Viva El Futbol podcast, Totti explained why he never even considered leaving Roma to sign for a club like Real Madrid. “I never thought about playing for another team. It wouldn’t have made sense,” he said (h/t Football Italia). “Only [Paolo] Maldini and I played 25 years with the same club."

Totti also referenced Messi, and explained that the Argentine likely wouldn't have won as many prestigious awards had he spent his career at Roma.

He added: "But do you really think that if Messi had spent 25 years at Roma with [Alessandro] Frau, Cesar Gomez, and [Matteo] Pivotto, he would have won all those Ballon d’Ors?”

Having experienced a turbulent first half of the season, in which they sacked Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric in the space of three months, things have started to look brighter for Roma under Claudio Ranieri. They currently sit in eighth place in the Serie A table and will be next seen in action on Thursday, March 6, when they take on Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.