The sad news was broke on Wednesday that Roma legend Francesco Totti will be hanging up his boots at the grand old age of 40 at the end of this season.

Already, football is about to lose such legends like Xabi Alonso and Philipp Lahm later this month and now Roma's Sporting Director Monchi has confirmed that this will be Totti's last season as a player.

The World Cup winner will move into a directorial role himself, so his connection to the club will continue, but that famous number 10 jersey will be vacated from next season onwards.

He has done it all and seen it all, and while many would argue that he would have been more successful had he moved on during the prime of his career, his decision to remain in the Italian capital has cemented his status as a legend in its own right.

But he won't only be remembered for what he did on the pitch, he also had a great sense of humour, which even manifested itself in the form of a joke book.

There's probably a lot he'll miss about the game, having played for as long as he has it is all that he knows. Being a part of the squad on a weekend and carrying the aspirations of a city on your shoulders can be addictive, albeit stressful.

But by the same token, there's likely going to be a lot that he won't miss, like speaking to journalists for example.

During the course of his long career he's been through enough lows to warrant never wanting to speak to someone with a camera and a dictaphone ever again, and earlier this season he shut an Italian sports hack down in the most brutal way.

Back in September, Roma were trailing 2-1 to Sampdoria in Serie A but were rescued by 'Il Gladiatore' when he stepped off the bench to provide an equaliser for Edin Dzeko before grabbing the winner from the penalty spot late on.

It highlighted that even at his age he was a vital influence on the club.

However, walking through the stadium's mixed zone after the final whistle, he was approached by a journalist and asked if he had a few minutes to talk.

But not intent on hanging around Totti shot back: "After 25 years what the f*ck more do I have to tell you guys?"

Ouch!