Francesco Totti says he had not given any consideration to becoming the oldest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League before his record-breaking strike against Manchester City.
Three days after celebrating his 38th birthday, the Roma captain turned back the clock to score the equaliser in the 1-1 draw at the Etihad, eclipsing the record previously held by Ryan Giggs. The Welshman scored at the age of 37 years and 290 days against Benfica for Manchester United.
Totti took all the plaudits and plenty of applause from the City fans, but the star remained modest.
"I hadn't even thought about it," Totti told Sky Sport Italia. "I was thinking more about the team than myself, which has always been my strength. And when a team like this helps you, then the goals arrive and so too do the records."
The Roma captain also thanked the English champions for giving him the motivation to score after being reminded by the club's official Twitter account hours before the game that he had never before scored in England.
"City's tweet? It really brought me luck,'' Totti told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "It was a beautiful goal and a good performance.
"I really wanted to score as soon as possible as I had not found the back of the net this season."
You're right, @MCFC. Our Capitano has never scored in England. But there's always a first time for everything... #CityvRoma
- AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) September 30, 2014
However, Totti's joy was also tempered by the result.
"I think we could have got more, considering the way we played over the 90 minutes," Totti added. "We had the best chances and I think it was a great performance from a great team up against one of the strongest sides in Europe, but we showed we can play football too."
Totti's majestic performance and impudent chip was consequently lauded by the Italian press.
"The night of Francesco Totti certifies a truth attributed to somebody who certainly knows a thing or two about the European Cup: Santiago Bernabeu," says an editorial in Wednesday's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "He said: 'There's no such thing as old or young players, there are only good or bad ones.'"
The goal was a shot in the arm for Italian football, according to La Gazzetta.
"Roma are like a dark lady [femme fatale]: beautiful yet evil, and dangerous," wrote Alessandra Bocci. "Now, it's another Lady -- Juventus -- who is called on to respond. This hard-fought but deserved draw in Manchester can encourage the Italians to try to grow also in Europe."
One step at a time, though, for Totti.
"Nothing changes for us," he said. "Our objective remains to do our best, but we know it's not going to be easy to go through. City and Bayern are still on a higher level than us, but if we carry on playing like this, then maybe we can do it."
Hope springs eternal, with the eternal player from the Eternal City.
"I'm truly proud of my team," said coach Rudi Garcia to Sky. "We showed personality against one of the richest sides in the world and I can only pay compliments to my side. A game like this can give us so much belief, even if I don't think my players need it.
"We've left City three points behind us and now let's see what we get from the double-header with Bayern."