I’ve always enjoyed reading stories about myths, legends, courageous men ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their country or even only for the beauty of a woman. The main actors of these stories where the heroes, who actually embodied the highest expression of the values of their society: loyalty, honour, love for the country, sacrifice. With their deeds, which were narrated in long epic poems, they were the symbols of the power, pride but also ethics of their people, thus contributing, through a natural process of identification, in the making of what could be called national awareness.
Heroes could not be commoners, for sure, because the greatness of the values they embodied had a divine nature that could be found either in their breed, for example Achilles, whose mother was the nymph Thetis or in their name, as for Beowulf. Beowulf, in fact, means “bee wolf” (which was supposed to be a metaphor for a bear): “the wolf that eats honey“, from which it was extracted ambrosia, the food of gods. He was, therefore, one of them. The values heroes embodied were universal and worked as glue of past more primitive societies, thus creating the basis of modern ones. At this point, I always ask my students a question: are there any such heroes nowadays? Men or women that could be the expression of universal values? They usually ponder for a while, then they come up with the usual defiant answer: Totti.
Totti, who? I guess you would ask. Well, Totti happens to be an Italian footballer, particularly popular here in Rome as he is the captain of A.S.Roma. The answer is quite provocative, as they know well that I am a great fan of the other team here in Rome S.S.Lazio. On Sundays , but often for the whole week, the atmosphere here is always something like, Capulets vs Montague,Guelphs vs Ghibellines,Trois vs Sparta and Lazio vs Roma. Thus, you may understand how that name can be particularly odious to me. However, despite the choice of the man, is it such a wrong answer? Can an action of a footballer or a team have the same function of glorious heroic deeds? Yes.
Nick Hornby in his autobiographical book Fever Pitch: A Fan’s life , well describes how football works in the mind of supporters. It is glue. Football is the common ground that allows the protagonist Paul Ashworth, an English teacher, to re-create a relationship with his father after the divorce and at the same time he finds in the other supporters of Arsenal that family he needs, with whom sharing the deeds of the present, the hopes for a better future and the stories of a glorious past. Time is felt as seasonal, therefore reassuring, cyclical, never-ending. We may discuss upon the values football expresses, however, people gather around those values and find motivations, passion, frustration but also happiness. For ninety minutes they/we feel alive in a never-ending dream.
It is sad, however, that they couldn’t spot anybody else. How could I blame them? After all the society they had been brought up fabricates powerful models, who invite to a process of identification in order to make profit (football included). The beautiful “lightness” of values is thus replaced by the “heaviness” due to the craving of things. Therefore, once men are emptied of their values, they cannot but become just like those “dried tubers” of T.S.Eliot ‘s Waste Land, who don’t seem to find any good reason to live and just like “broken images” wander pointlessly in this world, unless……………Totti comes 😦
e-Tinkerbell 
The hero must have different characteristics such as: strength, courage but first of all loyalty to his homeland .
In ma opinion a sportsman like Francesco Totti can be defined as a hero because, despite the various difficulties he encountened, he has always been loyal to his team: Roma, by playing with it for about 28 years.
nowadays we consider a hero someone who is extremely loyal, generous and which will sacrifices himself for good of others. For these reasons Totti is consider a hero today, and also because he transmit positive vibes that make people feel better.
With the passage of time the concept of a hero is not very different from that of the past. So I believe that Totti can be considered a hero because he represents the ideals and the passion of many people. Today, in fact, for people a hero is someone who embodies certain values shared by different people.
For me Totti can be considered a hero because compared to those of the past and he is not very different from them, he is an idol for all his admirers and everyone would like to be like him.
I mean, its a good analogy but… we can’t really compare a hero to a footballer. One is a flawless demi-god, determined to bring peace to his land no matter the struggles he might face. The other is just a normal man, like the rest of us, riddled with fears, insecurities, weaknesses and imperfections.
I particularly liked this post because it compares ancient myths to modern ones. In fact, for me Totti is considered a current hero regardless of which team he supports. In fact, in addition to being a player, Totti is a flag of his team, which is very rare especially for teams like Roma. So for me it is fair to define these kind of people as heroes. Heroes perhaps without divine abilities but more human and more similar to us.
In my opinion, the hero is a loyal and determined person who also risks his life to help people and to protect the values of his city. Totti embodies some of these values but I believe that he can’t be considered a hero or he can only be considered a hero for football fans. Personally, I think Beowulf is a true hero because he put his life in danger to save his people and his figure embodies all the qualities of a hero.
I think Totti has some of the characteristics of a hero, because he has been the reference point for his teammates and for the fans and because he has always been loyal to his team, even when he could have played in a much stronger one.
Anyway, we are talking about football; real heroes risk and sacrifice their lives for people, so I’m not sure a footballer can be considered a hero
In my opinion, a hero, is a person who trasmit something positive. There is no law in which the prerequisites for being considered a hero are written, so any person can have a different idea of it. So in my opinion a hero can easily be a historical figure or a simple footballer like Totti. So yes, even today there are heroes, precisely because the choice of them is totally subjective.
An hero is someone who is loyal, honours and love his country. For this reason there could me many tipe of heroes during history. An example is the footballer Francesco Totti, he is loyal, honours and love his football team A.S.Roma, so he is an hero.
According to my point of view, the figure of the hero you had before is difficult to find in the current generation. In fact, as we have seen at the question which is your hero, many people name Totti because in a way he is a point of reference and inspiration for many people. So I think that even a footballer can be called a hero, even if he is different from Achilles, since he transmits values such as strength and sacrifice for a team.
Here is another one! Here is another article explaining how things stand! truly 🙂
I have to admit, I’m guilty! I’m not a great lover of football … Indeed, until a few years ago I didn’t really follow it at all! Then, I realized that because of the environment in which I find myself, to talk about something i must necessarily talk about football … Well yes, my wallet cried, and DAZN laughed! 🙂
But in the end, I must say, I also like it … I see games now not to talk about them, but for the pure pleasure of relax, in fact during a game I absolutely don’t have to think about anything, I don’t have to concentrate, I don’t have to ” Be careful “, I can only sit and watch people running! hahah
I can’t understand, and I hope to understand it soon, this OBSESSION of the fans …. Especially those of ASRoma! For many fans, football is like what I say, pure relax! But the ASRoma fans (Like me at the end come on …) are like: “Always and in any case” in “SerieA” or in “SerieB”, both if tickets cost 1000 and if they cost 10 …
In many teams there isn’t this continue love, u lose, well good bye. Win, well, I love you! Exspecially in UK!
I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing, but certainly the morbidity about something, I have learned on my skin, isn’t a good thing for our body!
I hope i will understand this ASAP!
For now, let’s think about tomorrow’s derby! (Oh my god … I really became like this ….)
The hero is a character who, on his own initiative and free from any constraint, performs an extraordinary and generous act of courage, which involves or may involve the conscious sacrifice of himself, in order to protect the good of others or the common. For me Totti is a hero because of his own will he wanted to remain faithful to Rome and the Roman people by giving up top European clubs and also many individual awards. In this way confirming his loyalty and his values
The hero is a character who, on his own initiative and free from any constraint, performs an extraordinary and generous act of courage, which involves or may involve the conscious sacrifice of himself, in order to protect the good of others or the common. For me Totti is a hero because he remained loyal to Rome and the Roman people, rejecting so many clubs of the highest importance in Europe and also giving up many individual awards. In this way he demonstrated the loyalty and values a hero needs to be worthy of the word “hero”.
the hero is a person who, in my opinion, tries to convey something positive by helping others by sacrificing himself. Totti is a great example of a hero as he was loyal and honorable, which are the most important characteristics a hero should have.
A hero for me is someone valiant, a model to follow, for example, for me, my mother is one of them, I am very attached to her and when I grow up I would like to be like her. my mom is a very strong woman, l heve benn seen she cry maybe twice in my life, she looks like a hard and severe woman but this being of hers has transmitted to me so many values. I consider Totti a hero as far as football is concerned, he is a great player in this sport, on a human level you think instead for many he is a model to follow and for others not.
in my opinion heroes are loyal people, who always help others and who have a lot of respect for their population but also for the peoples of others. Totti reflected one of these aspects as everyone knows by staying at Rome for his entire career and therefore I can say that Totti, in my opinion, can be defined as a hero by the Roman people.
I think that anyone who can make himself known through good deeds can be considered a hero. This is why Totti is an example because remaining faithful to Roma has managed to refer to himself all the Roma fans
I think that anyone who can make himself known through good deeds can be considered a hero. This is why Totti is an example because remaining faithful to Roma has managed to refer to himself all the Roma fans.
As in epic poems,a hero is respectful,honourable and valiant.All values that Totti has assumed,because he is an example for all of us A.S Roma’s fans,”fighting for his team”.
The hero is that figure in which many people reflect and take inspiration from it. The hero represents each person’s trust and hope. Just like in the case of Totti, a man who refused offers from huge teams in order to stay in Rome. It represents the passion of the Roman people the lifeline for many people who made them smile by scoring goals against Lazio. To become a hero, therefore, it is necessary to win a person’s heart. Nowadays, however, there are many heroes in whom people replenish their hopes every day.
I hope you smiled. 😀
The hero is that figure in which many people reflect and take inspiration from it. The hero represents trust and hope. Just like in the case of Totti, a man who refused offers from huge teams in order to stay with Roma. It represents the passion of the Roman people to whom he gave a joy every weekend, especially when he scored against Lazio. To become a hero, therefore, it is necessary to win people’s hearts. Nowadays there are many heroes, but not the ancient ones, like Achilles but also simple people who do nothing but kick a ball.
Historically talking, a hero is an extraordinary and courageous person who risks his own life to save and protect that of others, but today his figure is a bit changed. In fact, everyone can be a hero in nowadays, since he transimts something positive and make people feel just better. This is the case of the former captain of A.S. Roma Francesco Totti, who has been, is and always will be a pillar for all football fans, not only the Rome ones.
At first it is necessary to establish what we consider an hero. Certanly Totti isn’t an hero as the grecians hero who sacrificed their life for their homeland but Totti has all the traits to be a modern hero. He has been loyal to his team, during his carrier he sacrificed himself for the good of the team, and the most important thing, he loves his city, Rome. For this reasons for me Totti is a modern hero. This is why i think that nobody will never be like him.
In my opinion, the heroes of history have always been and always will be. Heroes can be recognized by big things but above all by small ones. The concept of hero changes from person to person, in fact the hero can be anyone, even Totti. The important thing is that the hero conveys something to those who consider him as such.
nowadays we consider a hero someone who is extremely loyal, generous and which will sacrifices himself for good of others. For these reasons Totti is consider a hero today, and also because he transmit positive vibes that make people feel better.
I believe heroes are all around us, we just don’t know them. Our society rewards the “rich” and the “good looking” ones and force them to change theirselves and loose their values. Therefore I believe that a lot of people that are not famous could be considered heroes. They have their values and they fight for what they believe is right but they are not rewarded by our society.
I think a hero is one who sacrifices his life for others. Totti is certainly a great sportsman who plays for himself, for fame and to earn a lot of money, but he is not a hero! The real heroes are Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King or Asra Panahi, the girl killed by the Iranian regime to defend women’s rights. She knew she was risking her life, but she sacrificed herself for her next.
In my opinion an hero is a person who shows kindness and loyalty to people and who sacrifices for them, Totti is a good example of hero because he showed all this things to Rome and its fans.
I think that the decription of a hero is just that, so he must embody the values of his society. A hero must be loyal, love and respect his country. In fact, Totti is exactly all of this, then there are different types of heroes but he’s the hero, so the favorite person, of the Romanists.
A hero is a person who
he fights for his city, remains faithful to it and loves it.
Francesco Totti is considered a hero by the fans
Romanists, because he has
always
shown
these values to his
people. A hero doesn’t have to be a historical figure or a deity,
the important thing is that you always carry these values
with you.
I think a hero is one who sacrifices his life for the common good. Totti is certainly a great sportsman who has played for himself, for fame and to earn money. The real heroes are Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King or Asra Panahi, who was killed by the Iranian regime for defending women’s rights. She sacrificed her life to improve the status of women in her country.
In my opinion a hero is someone who makes good things by his actions and encourage the other people to do good things too.
I agree in the fact that Francesco Totti is a hero, for me the only different things between him and all of the mythological hero is the tool that they use, being Totti a footballer he doesn’t need to risk his life like Beowolf did to kill the monster named Grendel, but with his loyalty to the team and the happiness that he gave at the Roma fans he could be considered easily a hero too.
In my opinion totti can be considered a hero because in the world of football he has chosen to sacrifice himself for his team in every respect and has chosen to remain loyal to his city and team while also rejecting much more important teams where he could have won much more and earned much more. But as we know it is the world of football that we are talking about and on a general level the heroes are people who also sacrifice their own lives for values: loyalty, courage and justice. People who put other people’s lives first and who decide to be an example for others
To me, a hero is a person who sacrifices himself in what he believes. Totti for me, although as the author I support the S.S.Lazio, can be considered a hero since he sacrificed himself for the distant dream that the A.S.Roma win the Scudetto.
For me it is right that totti is considered as a person to be respected in the football world. In my opinion, however, a true hero is a person who fights for his homeland even at the cost of dying. So yes Totti was a great player loyal to his team but he cannot be considered a hero.
While ancient Celtic myths often revolved around legendary heroes and figures connected to nature, Francesco Totti, with his exceptional football career, could be likened to a modern-day hero, celebrated for his prowess and dedication to his team.
I think that Totti can be considered a hero for several reasons: at first because of his loyalty, in fact he chose to remain in a mediocre club he loved instead of going somewhere else to try to win something important both on team and personal therms. In my opinion another reason he can be considered a hero is the huge amount of people who idolize him and the example he has been and he still is for all of them. Last but not least i think one of the most important aspect of being a hero is protecting weak and vulnerable people from the strong ones and this is one of the things he did the best, in fact he chose a weak club like as AS Roma and helped them be able to compete with the best clubs in Italy , but especially making their fans believe they are an actually good team, even if the palmares says otherwise.
For me the hero, in addition to being a courageous and enterprising character, is also a person seen as a model to follow and admired by many people for his actions. Totti is one of many examples precisely because he is a model followed by many aspiring footballers who want to become like him and act like him.
I think there is no better way to define how this generation is growing , called by many as Generation Z, I am a boy of this generation and I agree with my teacher that there are no other people to talk about the universal values better have become a name like many, just think of Elon Musk that I start working in his garage at the age of 17 and now he is one of the richest people in the world and no one tries to copy him or take inspiration from his past.
Well, this is a long debate on which several things could be listed. Totti can be considered a hero but only from a footballing point of view and not under other aspects, because it is true he represented values such as: sacrifice, love and loyalty towards his team. But if we leave the football field we cannot consider him as a hero, or at least I don’t consider him a hero, but just a prominent figure in the history of football. I think nowadays there are no common heroes in which we humans believe. For children, a simple example of heroes, I think unfortunately, are modern influencers, who
we know that by interacting on screens they only show what is most favorable to them. There are therefore no main heroes on which thousands and thousands of people base a point of reference. I think, however, that nowadays, heroes are chosen from person to person, and therefore they are different from man to man, because they are chosen based on our ideals and not on a common ideal.
In my opinion, a hero is an example to follow, an important role that always has the figure of the strong, courageous and loyal. Today the figure of the hero is different from that of a long time ago, for example from the almost mythological epic hero who represented the people and gave them a voice or who saved his own citizens. Nowadays, totti can be considered such since he is a great example for many people in the world of sport, in this respect there are many heroes, in different fields. But the real heroes, the heroes of the people, unfortunately today doesn’t exist no more.
Robin Williams was a very famous American actor who
demonstrated incredible stage performances. Not only
was he very good at his job but he was committed and
cared about every film he took part in, immersing
himself in his role thus making perfect scenes.
but he was not only a good actor but in my opinion,
even tho with a playful and somewhat rebellious
attitude, also a kind-hearted man with exemplar
behavior, going as far as asking to add homeless people
to the cast for every film he participated in,
acting as a true hero. having said this I think
that many people could learn from his behavior and
improve themselves. Unfortunately Robin Williams committed
suicide, some say due to depression and some say due to
an illness similar to dementia, but he remained
immortalized as a great hero in the history of cinema.
think that “Hero” is a word which meaning changes from person to person.
By definition a hero is someone who differs from the “normal” people for his strenght,actions and his values; but I think that it’s more personal than that.
A heroe is someone that inspire you, who you look up to; for someone it could be their dad,a singer, a teacher, or even Totti…
Talking about nowdays, someone may say that George Floyd was a hero, which I’m not very sure about, but who am I to judge?
for me totti is considered a hero, because despite the offers of other teams many fans consider it a hero behavior, because he did not betray the team that gave him everything. this for many is a behavior of extreme loyalty
in my opinion nowdays we don’t have real values, because of the fastness of our lives we have become more superficial than in the past. Today we consider a footballer an hero only because he remained in a one club for his entire carrieer and in my opinion that is not fair.
For me a hero it’s him that everyone can take as a reference;
And Totti is not a hero, he like other football players can be a point of reference for the people who play or see football but he can never be a glue that unites the people, because he doesn’t teach healthy and important values, he does not do heroic actions for his country or for a beloved woman ,also he is not the son of a god
Football in my opinion can unite supporters but it can also divide them .When I was a child I considered my parents heroes because they were a reference for me and they were the people who had good values and where go when there was a problem.
Francesca De Vincentis
I guess heroes are people to follow.They are examples. People who think of others first and themselves second, and kind of people who make a difference. in this case Mr. TOTTI made a difference. He is known as a great football player who remained faithful to his team AS Roma, even having other offers. We remember him as a hero. To be a hero doesn’t mean to sacrifice or to risk your life for others; There are many types of heroes, you just have to find them.