Italy international Riccardo Calafiori admits the pressure of representing boyhood club Roma created excessive ‘anxiety’ that he does not feel at Arsenal. ‘I don’t think it was a mistake, how can you say no?’
The defender is from the Eternal City and came up through the Roma youth academy, although his career almost ended before it had really begun due to a devastating knee injury when he was just 16 years old.
“They told me after that first operation that I would never again be able to play football. I simply didn’t want to hear that,” Calafiori told Sky Sport Italia.
“If it had happened three or four years later, I very probably would not have managed to get back into the sport. Instead, that arrogance of being a kid, that challenge to myself and being determined to prove people wrong, it all pushed me to keep going.”
When he did get his debut for Roma at the age of 18, it was both a wonderful and terrifying experience for the lifelong Giallorossi supporter.
“Playing for Roma was a dream come true for me. Considering my age, I don’t think I had done badly, but I felt far too much pressure. I was too young and too involved, I remember that I only felt happy when the referee blew the final whistle and it was all over. Nowadays, I can’t wait for the game to start, I no longer feel that kind of anxiety.”
The road back to happiness began with a move to FC Basel in 2022, then on to Bologna where he truly flourished in 2023.
“The truth is that Basel was my only option. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the idea, but then I managed to be calm and play consistently, finally playing without anxiety,” continued Calafiori.
“Everything I experienced at Bologna was magical and unexpected. I arrived on transfer deadline day and they didn’t really need me, it was just to make up the numbers, but I immediately got along with the coach, who saw me as a centre-back.
“Thiago Motta told me that I would get some opportunities, but then Jhon Lucumi’s injury changed everything.”
Bologna qualified for the Champions League and Calafiori was picked up by Arsenal in a massive €45m plus bonuses deal.
He has struggled for playing time with the Gunners, but still contributed three goals and two assists in 29 competitive appearances this season.
“I don’t think I made a mistake coming here,” said Calafiori.
“Playing in the Premier League was another one of my dreams, also as a personal challenge, considering the reputation that Italians have in this league. But how can you say no to Arsenal?”
It was while living in London that Calafiori found out his childhood friend and fellow Roma youth academy product Edoardo Bove had collapsed during Fiorentina’s Serie A match against Inter.
“He is one of my best friends in football. I remember that when he was taken ill, I wasn’t watching the match, I just turned on the TV to check the result and saw that it had been suspended, but I didn’t know why.
“Straight after that, my mother called me up in tears. She is great friends with Bove’s mother. I couldn’t understand what was happening, it was a horrible blow.”
Bove was revived on the pitch and implanted with a defibrillator, but will undergo further tests to see if it can be safely removed.
If it cannot, then he will have to continue his playing career outside of Italy, because the same rules also forbid Christian Eriksen from playing with Inter after a similar situation.
