Interviewed by Il Corriere dello Sport, the former Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo spoke of two champions of Italian and international football with whom he shared great experiences, with Inter and with the Italian national team: we are talking about Francesco Totti and Samuel Eto’o attackers at Roma and Sampdoria who will face each other in the match tomorrow night at Olimpico.
Toldone begins: “I hope they will both score, maybe even more than one goal with a header, but don’t ask me for a prediction. I hope for a match with plenty of goals, but not a draw.”
Toldo, the first memory that comes to mind of Totti and Eto’o?
“I was fortunate to play with both and I can assure you that it was a privilege. Two fantastic champions who make the teams they play for win. The peaks of their careers were reached years ago, but they are still players who always are able to make a winning play, to change the course of a game.”
How would you describe Totti?
“An artist, a timeless player, able to endure in a tough environment as that of Rome. Francesco is a symbol of Italian football, passed unscathed by controversy in recent years. He has flair, imagination and boldness.”
How is Francesco off the pitch?
“Cheerful and playful. I remember in the retreats with the national team that after each dinner there were his jokes… He was very self-ironic and funny.”
There is a game that saw you both as heroes together.
“The semi-final of EURO 2000. I saved three penalties and he scored in the final sequence with the cucchiaio.”
Did he score goals on you as well?
“In a Roma-Inter 3-3 I remember an unstoppable penalty in the upper corner of the net. What a shot.”
What is Totti for Italian football?
“An example for the younger, one of the few bandieras because he started and finished in a single club, a very rare thing in this sport. He is a symbol of Rome and a good person, an image that has been preserved in time.”
Eto’o on the other hand: what kind of player is he?
“A very technical striker who can score the easy goals, but also create them with his technique. When playing together I was impressed by his flexibility. When the team defends, he lends a hand: he used this quality in Barcelona and he was crucial for Inter in the year of the Treble.”
The best gift of Samuel?
“Reacts very well to the pressure. As all the champions do.”
How is Eto’o off the pitch?
“Eccentric, but also very generous because he helps those in need.”
And in the locker room?
“He’s a leader, one who sets the example, but if he must say something to you, he does so without problems.”
Source: fcinternews.it
