AS Roma striker Francesco Totti hailed his own remarkable
comeback from injury after winning the Golden Boot award for
finishing the season as Europe's top striker.
The 30-year-old scored 26 goals in Serie A this season despite
playing the whole of this season with a metal pin in his ankle -
the result of an injury that threatened to keep him out of Italy's
World Cup-winning campaign in Germany last year.
He took the Golden Boot after the only player capable of beating
him, Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy, limped off with a hamstring
injury without scoring during his team's 3-1 win over Real Mallorca
on Sunday.
"A year ago everyone was writing me off, saying that I was
finished and only in the national team on reputation, but the
criticism brought me luck because now I am a World Cup winner, top
goalscorer and I have won the Coppa Italia and the Golden Boot,"
Totti was quoted as saying on the UEFA website (www.uefa.com) on
Monday.
"What's more, I've won the Golden Boot on 17 June, exactly six
years after winning the scudetto (Serie A title) with Roma. It was
meant to be."
The Golden Boot is decided on a points system, which is weighted
according to the relative strength of each of Europe's leagues.
Totti's 26 goals in the Italian top flight gave him 52 points,
two points ahead of Van Nistelrooy, who scored 25 times for Real.
Brazilian striker Afonso Alves was third after scoring 34 goals for
Dutch club Heerenveen.
"I feel sorry for Van Nistelrooy. I can imagine how bitter he
must have felt, but he is still a great player and deserves full
respect for fighting until the end," added Totti, who became the
second Italian to win the award in successive seasons after
Fiorentina striker Luca Toni last year.
(China Daily via Reuters June 19, 2007)