![\"team](\"https:\/\/www.partypoker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/francesco-totti-football-venice.jpg\" "\\"Francesco")
After flying from Melbourne \u2013 Sydney then Hong Kong to London I eventually landed in Venice for the WPT.<\/p>\nAfter flying from Melbourne \u2013 Sydney then Hong Kong to London I eventually landed in Venice for the WPT.<\/p>\n
One of my first missions? An audience with Francesco Totti, Italian football legend \u2013 a Roma hero \u2013 a man who can walk on water which is very handy when you are in Venice waiting for a water taxi.<\/p>\n
Totti is like David Beckham in Italy, the place went off when he came in \u2013 he had an entourage bigger than P Diddy.<\/p>\n
I wanted to talk about poker, I wanted to pass on a message from Tony G that he was the real number 10. What I really wanted to talk about was football, however.<\/p>\n
After all, millions of pounds have been spent in the English Premiership in recent days, Fernando Torres has gone to Chelsea, Andy Carroll has gone to Liverpool. What did he think about that? What does he think about the famously tempestuous Mario Balotelli \u2013 did he think Carroll was really worth as much Barcelona\u2019s David Villa?<\/p>\n
Suffice to say I wasn\u2019t making friends with the entourage \u2013 I got a few answers but no real revelations. I am chasing Totti in Venice \u2013 who do I think I am \u2013 Richard Keys and Andy Gray?<\/p>\n
Roman Abramovich has a lot of money, yes \u2013 Chelsea are a good team, he knows who Andy Carroll is. I didn\u2019t really expect much more. Francesco Totti did talk in detail about loyalty in football though which is interesting considering how many of these players kiss the badge one day and get transferred to Manchester City the next… You have to admire Totti\u2019s loyalty to his club and commitment to his cause.<\/p>\n
I tried to get the words Mario Balotelli out of my mouth but got pounced on by a minder. Remind me I am never going to make a top sports journalist. Do I really have to post this to embarrass myself?<\/p>\n
Eventually the inevitable intervention came in \u2018last question\u2019 please. I was in Venice treading water… ask him something random. Therefore I asked him whether he thought that the lyrics in Lady Gaga\u2019s \u2018Bad Romance\u2019 were a good for the Roma fans. \u2018Ro-ma-ma-ma-ma.\u2019 What followed was a dumbfound look… someone please get this idiot out of here.<\/p>\n
Anyway here is the excruciating extracts of the Totti interview. The only thing I can say is I have met a living legend. It put my annoyance at poker <\/a>player diva antics in Melbourne in perspective. I bet you Totti would not insist on drinking Fiji Water only because he can tell the difference between that and Evian.<\/p>\n I will get my coat… Talking of getting your coat I have been winding up Dragan Galic, Totti destroyed him in the heads-up lol. Then there was Giovanni Rizzo who played Totti too and hit four 10\u2019s against Italy\u2019s most famous number 10.<\/p>\n Most importantly, this was all done for charity, something that Totti embraces and has to be admired. When you have that power and use it to do good how can you say a bad word against the man?<\/p>\n