Francesco Totti reveals that his 21-year-old son Cristian stopped playing football due to an undiagnosed medical condition. A CT scan for a nasal issue uncovered an occlusion in the aqueduct of Sylvius, preventing proper fluid flow to the brain and explaining lifelong frequent headaches that had previously been dismissed as tiredness.
Why Did Cristian Totti Stop Playing Football?
Cristian Totti ended his football career at age 21 following a medical discovery concerning a blockage in his brain. Corriere dello Sport reported that the former Roma captain disclosed the diagnosis during an exclusive interview celebrating his 50th birthday with director Ivan Zazzaroni. Francesco Totti explained that an incidental CT scan, originally performed to check a nasal problem, revealed the underlying neurological condition.
Doctors discovered an occlusion in the aqueduct of Sylvius. “Mo’, not is that I do the doctor, I tell you it just as they explained it to me: not all the liquid was passing to the brain,” Francesco Totti stated in the interview with Corriere dello Sport. The condition sheds light on symptoms that lingered in the background throughout Cristian’s childhood. “Since he was little he had frequent headaches,” Totti added in the Corriere dello Sport report. “But he was always moving, nobody had ever worried. We thought he would be a little tired.”
How Did Public Scrutiny Affect Cristian Totti’s Career?
Corriere dello Sport reported that Francesco Totti expressed deep hurt over the cruelty directed at his son as he tried to build a professional career. Cristian spent time in Serie D with Olbia before stepping away from the sport completely a year prior to the interview.
Francesco Totti recounted that Cristian initially wanted to be a tennis player, a choice his father supported happily before the boy abruptly decided to switch to football. “Do the sport you like, I couldn’t tell him anything else,” Totti told Corriere dello Sport. As Cristian grew older, however, he encountered hostility. “Speaking ill of a boy of twelve, fifteen years is shameful. They hurt me,” Totti noted.
What medical condition did Cristian Totti have?
What specific medical condition did Cristian Totti have?
Cristian Totti was diagnosed with an occlusion in the aqueduct of Sylvius, which restricted the normal flow of fluid to his brain. The condition was discovered incidentally during a CT scan that was originally conducted to investigate a nasal issue.
Which Italian club did Cristian Totti last play for?
Cristian Totti played in Serie D for Olbia before deciding to step away from competitive football.
How was the medical condition discovered?
According to Francesco Totti’s interview with Corriere dello Sport, the issue was found entirely by accident when Cristian underwent a CT scan for a separate problem involving his nose.
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