I am not a politician. Legendary Italian footballer commented on his trip to Russia.

Francesco Totti reacts to criticism regarding his visit to Moscow

In connection with Francesco Totti's planned visit to Moscow on April 8, the former footballer of "Roma" and the Italy national team responded to the criticism he received. This information was provided by "Glavkom" citing ansa.it.

Francesco Totti stated: "My visit to Moscow has sparked a lot of controversy. However, I am not a politician or a diplomat, I am an athlete promoting my values around the world. I have always done this as a player and now as a citizen. I was invited to go to various countries to discuss sports, and I will undoubtedly go to Kyiv with the same purpose."

He also emphasized that if a competent authority had prohibited him from participating in the event in Moscow, he would have refused. Responding to critics, Francesco highlighted: "For me, anything else is hypocrisy and manipulation by people who want to gain fame using my name."

Francesco Totti is a renowned Italian footballer, former captain of "Roma," who played for this club from 1992 to 2017. He became the world champion in 2006 and the vice-champion of Europe in 2000 as part of the Italy national team, and he also participated in the World Cups of 2002 and the European Championships of 2004. Totti is among the top thirty players by the number of matches played and holds second place for the number of goals scored in Serie A. He also played the most matches and scored the most goals for "Roma." He is also a record holder in the Roman derby, having played the most matches in this encounter.

Moreover, we want to mention that Ukrainian defenders eliminated the Russian occupier Alexander Rabotnitsky, who was a participant in the Paralympic Games among athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Rabotnitsky, a 31-year-old occupier, was eliminated on March 23. According to Russian sources, he "decided to volunteer and join the SVO (this term is used by Russian propaganda to refer to the war with Ukraine - 'Glavkom'), defending his homeland."

Alexander Rabotnitsky, a 31-year-old occupier, became a silver medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics on September 3, 2021, in the 1500 meters in the T20 category.