Mia Hamm: Totti is an all-time great

Hamm, in Rome to attend a Club board meeting, was asked to give her verdict on the Giallorossi captain by fans in a live Twitter chat.

“You look at Francesco Totti and you can’t help but admire him,” Hamm told @ASRomaEN, the club’s English-language Twitter account. “He’s a ‘blue collar’ type of player, as we’d say in the United States. He gets in there, he’s extremely loyal and hard-working and he’s very proud of who he is and who he represents.

“He’s one of the best players who has ever played. He’s been so consistent throughout his career and, even now, he still finds a way to make a difference in games for his club."

"He makes that difference through is work rate, through his goals and through his leadership. I think he has so much respect all across the world among players who have played the game.”​

What are your first memories of AS Roma?

“I lived in Rome from 1989 to 1993 and I remember watching the games on TV. Walking around Rome, red and yellow were always the colours that stood out.”

Are you confident women’s football will grow in Italy?

“The talent and the passion is here amongst female footballers in Italy so I think it’s just natural women’s football will keep growing.”

Why did you decided to become involved with AS Roma?

“When you have the opportunity to become to become part of such an historic club and help try and make it the best club it can be, you take it.”

What’s the biggest different between Italian football and American soccer?

“The name! I think the history. In the US, we’re creating a history but here it is part of the fabric of the country. Football is part of everyone’s life in Rome.”

What’s your role at AS Roma?

“I’m a Board member of the club and I am helping to grow AS Roma in the USA. I want to help bring AS Roma into the living room of people who maybe didn’t know about the club before.”

Have you noticed the popularity grow in the US?

“Absolutely. With Jim as the owner, he’s made big waves for Roma in the United States and he’s creating this amazing partnership between the history of the club and the new era.”

Do Jim Pallotta’s ambitions for AS Roma excite you?

“Jim motivates everyone he meets. This isn’t a hobby for him. It’s a passion. He wants Roma to be the best and not just here in Italy but in the world.”

If you were still playing, would you have liked to train with AS Roma?

“I probably would have just been watching them run past me! But any opportunity to learn from the best, I’d have loved it.”