Francesco Totti believes the 2006 World Cup is what lifted him beyond being a purely Roman figure, and he has no doubt about the part he played in it.

Speaking to Corriere dello Sport for his 50th birthday, via TuttoMercatoWeb , Totti was asked whether the tournament completed him.

“If I hadn’t played they wouldn’t have won it,” he said, laughing. “That World Cup gave me the strength to be important outside Rome too. If I had only won one Scudetto, two Coppa Italias and two Supercoppas I would have stayed ‘inside the ring road’. Instead I won it and, even though I was at 40 per cent, I made a big contribution. Not everyone wins a World Cup.”

The 40 per cent reference is not false modesty as Totti fractured his left ankle in February 2006 and underwent surgery, making it back for the tournament with barely any match fitness. He still started six of Italy’s seven games and finished with a goal and four assists, the most of any player at the finals.

He identified a broader window as his peak. “Between 2001 and 2008 I felt really good. I was ’embarrassing’ for how strong I felt.”

Totti also addressed the long-standing suggestion that he was not a vocal dressing-room leader, and did not particularly dispute it.

“I’ve always been of the view that the pitch was what counted. Outside it, everyone is good at talking. They would say to me: why don’t you say something to the team before the game? But I have to go and play football, I have to enjoy myself. I never felt tension before a match.”