After Luis Enrique decided to resign due to an unsuccessful season in which Roma failed to qualify for European football for the first time in 15 years, the club decided to appoint their former manager Zdeněk Zeman, with whom Totti would once again be reunited.
Zeman tried to play Totti in a free role as a left forward or winger in his preferred 4–3–3 tactical line-up.
Although this was a similar role to that which he had played during Zeman's previous spell 13 years before, Totti's freedom also enabled him to drop deep into the midfield to press opponents and pick up the ball, as well as attacking on the left wing.
On 2 September, Totti provided 2 assists for Alessandro Florenzi and Dani Osvaldo in Roma's 3–1 win over Inter at the San Siro.
After the match, he received praise from the media due to his performance, even as he approached his 36th birthday.
On 21 October, Totti surpassed both Giuseppe Meazza and José Altafini's joint-record after scoring the first of Roma's goals in a 4–2 away win at Genoa, becoming the third-highest scorer in Serie A history with 217 goals.
On 8 December, Totti scored two goals, his fifth and sixth of the season, in a 4–2 home victory against Fiorentina.

Following the club's negative performances, Zeman was sacked and replaced by the club's technique coach Aurelio Andreazzoli in early February 2013.
Under his new manager, Totti scored a goal against Juventus on 16 February, with a powerful strike, as Roma shocked the league leaders in a 1–0 win.
On 3 March, he scored his 225th goal against Genoa to become Serie A's joint second-top scorer – alongside Gunnar Nordahl – as Roma cruised to a 3–1 victory.
Totti finally broke Nordahl's record by scoring against Parma on 18 March, increasing his Serie A tally to 226 goals.
On 8 April, with a goal from a penalty kick in the 1–1 draw against Lazio, he became the joint top scorer of all time in Serie A in the Rome Derby with nine goals, putting him on par with Dino da Costa and Marco Delvecchio.
Totti finished the 2012–13 Serie A season with 12 goals and 12 assists from 34 appearances.
Totti also reached the 2013 Coppa Italia final with Roma, but lost the match 0–1 on 26 May to cross-city rivals Lazio.
After Luis Enrique decided to resign due to an unsuccessful season in which Roma failed to qualify for European football for the first time in 15 years, the club decided to appoint their former manager Zdeněk Zeman, with whom Totti would once again be reunited. Zeman tried to play Totti in a free role as a left forward or winger in his preferred 4–3–3 tactical line-up. Although this was a similar role to that which he had played during Zeman's previous spell 13 years before, Totti's freedom also enabled him to drop deep into the midfield to press opponents and pick up the ball, as well as attacking on the left wing. On 2 September, Totti provided 2 assists for Alessandro Florenzi and Dani Osvaldo in Roma's 3–1 win over Inter at the San Siro. After the match, he received praise from the media due to his performance, even as he approached his 36th birthday. On 21 October, Totti surpassed both Giuseppe Meazza and José Altafini's joint-record after scoring the first of Roma's goals in a 4–2 away win at Genoa, becoming the third-highest scorer in Serie A history with 217 goals. On 8 December, Totti scored two goals, his fifth and sixth of the season, in a 4–2 home victory against Fiorentina.
Following the club's negative performances, Zeman was sacked and replaced by the club's technique coach Aurelio Andreazzoli in early February 2013. Under his new manager, Totti scored a goal against Juventus on 16 February, with a powerful strike, as Roma shocked the league leaders in a 1–0 win. On 3 March, he scored his 225th goal against Genoa to become Serie A's joint second-top scorer – alongside Gunnar Nordahl – as Roma cruised to a 3–1 victory. Totti finally broke Nordahl's record by scoring against Parma on 18 March, increasing his Serie A tally to 226 goals. On 8 April, with a goal from a penalty kick in the 1–1 draw against Lazio, he became the joint top scorer of all time in Serie A in the Rome Derby with nine goals, putting him on par with Dino da Costa and Marco Delvecchio. Totti finished the 2012–13 Serie A season with 12 goals and 12 assists from 34 appearances. Totti also reached the 2013 Coppa Italia final with Roma, but lost the match 0–1 on 26 May to cross-city rivals Lazio.
Francesco Totti