Francesco Totti has revealed in his autobiography "Oltre", published by Cairo Editore, details of the offer he received from Genoa to return to Serie A, Italy's premier level. "I said no to Serie A. I said no to Genoa. I said no to Como. I was 48 years old. Genoa's coach was Alberto Gilardino, who, like me, won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, and Cesc Fabregas, one of soccer's greats, was already on the Como bench. Gilardino was 42, Fabregas 37, so I would have been 6 and 11 years older respectively than the people being paid to tell me what to do. These are not urban tales; they are the absolute truth. Incredible but real. Crazy". The idea had started almost as a joke. Totti continued to play eight-a-side games and jokingly stated in certain interviews that he was "ready to return". At Genoa, however, that assertion was taken seriously. "Francesco, if you're ready, then come back for real", the club authorities encouraged him, wondering whether he was eager to try something new. Totti subsequently intensified his training regimen, which included three gym sessions per week, two appointments with the physiotherapist, meticulous nutrition, and his usual Monday evening eight-a-side game. Gilardino also wrote to ask about his decision. Despite age-related problems and seven years since retirement, his body performed better than expected. In the end, the doubt was not about his athletic ability. "My head said I could accept, but my heart said no", Totti said. The key question was, “Can you play for a team that isn’t Roma?” For him, the answer was always the same. "Roma was the point. Not a problem, and never will be. A sporting betrayal has no age limit, whether you’re 18 or 48".