Former Italy and Roma forward Francesco Totti has split up with his wife Ilary Blasi after 20 years of their relationship.
Totti, who is considered the best Giallorossi player of all time, met Blasi, a renowned television presenter, in 2002 and got married three years later in 2005. The wedding was telecast live on Sky Sports Italia, as fans broke into celebrations across the country.
In November 2005, five months after their marriage, the pair welcomed their first child Christian, who is now a part of the Roma youth academy. Totti and Blasi have two more children – Chanel, 15 and Isabel, 6.
The 45-year-old recently released a statement, announcing the separation with his wife. As quoted by Football Italia, he said:
"After 20 years together, my relationship with Ilary has unfortunately ended. All that I said and did over the last few months was to protect our children, who are and always will be the absolute priority in my life. I tried to overcome the crisis in our marriage, but today I realise the choice of a separation is – albeit painful – no longer avoidable."
The 2006 FIFA World Cup winner continued:
"I will continue to be united with Ilary in raising our marvellous three children, always with great respect for my wife. The separation process will remain a private matter and I will not make any more statements. I urge everyone to avoid speculation and, above all, respect the privacy of my family."
Earlier in February, it was reported that Francesco Totti was having an affair with Noemi Bocchi but the couple have repeatedly denied the allegations.
In a separate statement, Ilary said:
"After 20 years together and three splendid children, my marriage to Francesco is over. The separation process will remain a private matter and I will not make any more statements. I urge everyone to avoid speculation and, above all, respect the privacy of my family."
Francesco Totti: Roma's one-club maestro
Francesco Totti made his senior debut for Roma at the age of 16 in 1993 after joining the club's youth academy in 1989. He went on to make 784 appearances for the Serie A outfit, registering 307 goals and 186 assists.
During his time at his boyhood club, he lifted one Serie A title, two Coppa Italia trophies and two Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
Francesco Totti announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the 2016-17 season after guiding Roma to a second-place finish in Serie A.