Batistuta is too old now, says Totti

September 30, 2003 23:56 IST

Star Italian forward Francesco Totti said on Tuesday that he would not quit the Serie A, Italy's local league competition, "under any circumstances".

The AS Roma striker told reporters that the absence of players like Frenchman Zinedine Zidane and Brazilian Ronaldo had not affected the Italian league.

Zidane moved from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001. Ronaldo joined Real from Inter Milan last year.

Totti said: "We have one of the strongest national leagues in the world and our clubs invariably make it to the finals of the European competitions. Perhaps Zidane and his colleagues felt lost in Italy."

Totti was in Dubai to publicise the launch of a Web site for a local club.

Asked about 34 year-old Argentinian forward Gabriel Batistuta's move from Italy to a club in Qatar, Totti said: "Batistuta is an asset for any national league because he has played in different parts of the world and has accumulated a great amount of experience, but the only problem is that he is too old now."

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