Football: Francesco Totti stays with Roma

(AGI) Rome, May 20 - AS Roma striker Francesco Totti will continue with the team, the club's general manager said, closing a difficult contract renewal. "Totti plays and will continue to play for Roma. He will stay part of the team and of our family for a very long time in the future," said AS Roma general manager Mauro Baldissoni. In an interview with 'Roma TV', he explained: "Francesco is untouchable, he is a legend and in that situation, the line between reality and the imaginary becomes quite fine. And Totti is more than that, he is an icon in Rome as well as in football in general." Where Totti is a universally recognised icon, the best-loved Roma player in the United Arab Emirates is Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah. Salah is the proud of the country with nine million inhabitants, of whom one million are Egyptian nationals. "We are happy to have him and to be able to benefit from the effect he has on a new audience," explained Baldissoni. I don't know if he is as popular as our captain; let's say that he still has some way to go to get to that level. But it's nice to see them together and to see the reaction of the fans. It's like they bring past and future together. But, as I said, the past is not the past yet, since Francesco will continue to play with us." Baldissoni also talked about the Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman, who has returned to the national team after a long injury. "Kevin has gone through a lot and that was difficult for us to see. We have supported him as much as we could in these months. He is an extraordinary champion, we all know that, and he has suffered a lot. Many players have to live with various injuries, but Strootman has suffered both physically and mentally due to the extremely long recovery period. Kevin has basically lost two seasons. Having him back is a great joy for Roma and obviously for him. Being called up for the national team is proof that he's really back, we are extremely happy about that." (AGI) . .