Riccardo Calafiori is a talented footballer from Rome, Italy. He is known for his similar style of play to Italian legendary defender, Paulo Maldini. Calafiori’s impressive performance at the UEFA Euro 2024 Cup Competition has also been one of the performances that has made him stand out from his footballing peers.
Riccardo Calafiori’s move to Arsenal has been the major talking point in recent times. Much effort is being put into ascertaining his footballing background as to whether he would be a great fit in England. Well, if you’ve wished a obtain a thorough breakdown of the life and career of Riccardo Calafiori, then you are at the right place.
In this article, you will be reading about the life, career, and many more details about Riccardo Calafiori. You’ll also read information about his wife, age, and team. Let’s begin by reading a profile breakdown of Riccardo Calafiori.
Profile Rundown
Full Name: Riccardo Calafiori.
Date Of Birth: May 19, 2002.
Place Of Birth: Rome, Italy.
Height: 6ft 2 in
Position: Left Back, Center Back
Current Team: Arsenal
Riccardo Calafiori Early Life
Riccardo Calafiori was born on the 19th of May 2002. This means that he is 22 years of age as of 2024. He was born in Rome, Italy. Riccardo Calafiori’s parents discovered that from a tender age, he loved to play football. So, when he grew up to the age of 6, he was registered in youth teams around Italy.
Riccardo Calafiori Club Career
Riccardo Calafiori’s club career journey from youth teams to senior teams has been a rollercoaster ride. In 2006, Riccardo Calafiori was signed to the Petriana youth team. In Petriana, Riccardo Calafiori learned the basics of playing football the Italian way. After a 2-year stay at the club, he left for Rome, to join the Roma youth team.
In Roma, Calafiori was deployed to different positions before eventually finding his place as a center defender. From 2010 – 2020, Calafiori displayed impressive performances for the Roma youth team. Due to his consistency in the youth games, he eventually became a choice to call when a player in Roma’s senior team was not available.
In 2020, Calafiori made his debut as a first-team player for Roma. The debut came in a match against Juventus where Roma won the game by 3 goals. The match was the ideal performance a debutant would dream of. He was involved in winning a penalty kick for Roma and eventually got on the score sheet himself with a goal from distance. However, the goal was eventually called on for offside and canceled subsequently.
Later that year, in December, Calafiori scored his first goal for Roma in a UEFA Europa League game against Young Boys. However, his time in Italy lasted a year after that, as he was announced to have completed a loan deal to Genoa in January 2022. His time in Genoa was quite disappointing as he only featured in 3 games.
In August 2022, after Calafiori had returned from his loan deal at Genoa. He was again transferred to the Swiss side, Basel. The Basel team proved to be a turning point for his career. He was able to garner 26 appearances in games and deliver match-winning performances for the Swiss team.
Well, these performances didn’t go unnoticed as Bologna came for his signature in July 2023. In August 2023, Riccardo Calafiori’s transfer to Bologna was sealed after back and forth during the negotiations. Calafiori’s performance during his time at Bologna became a step higher than it was at Basel.
In Bologna, Riccardo Calafiori became coach Thiago Motta’s first-choice center-back option. In 2024, he rewarded the coach for his trust by scoring a brace in a match against Juventus. The match eventually ended in a draw. After completing 30 appearances for Bologna, the football season came to an end. The fine performances of Riccardo Calafiori paid off as he became one of the best players in the Bologna team. Being responsible for Bologna’s qualifications for the UEFA Champions League for the 2024/2025 football season.
In July 2024, Riccardo Calafiori attracted interest from several teams in Europe such as Chelsea, Arsenal, and Real Madrid. However, in July 2024, Riccardo Calafiori was announced to have completed a move to Arsenal. He is expected to compete for a starting place among Arsenal center-back options.
Riccardo Calafiori International Career
In September 2021, Riccardo Calafiori made his international debut for the Italian U21 team in a match against Luxembourg. The match ended in 3 goals in favor of the Italian youth side.
In May 2024, Riccardo Calafiori’s fine performances for Bologna earned him his first call-up to the Italian senior team. He was called up to be included in the Italian National Team preliminary team for the UEFA Euro 2024 Cup Competition. He was eventually called up in the confirmed selection of players for the UEFA Euro 2024 Cup Competition by Luciano Spalleti.
In June 2024, he made his debut in an official competition for the Italian senior National Team. He was featured in the match against Albania where the Italian won the match. Riccardo Calafiori’s debut with the National Team made him the youngest player since Paulo Maldini to play for Italy in a senior competition.
In the UEFA Euro 2024 Cup Competition, Riccardo Calafiori was involved in an own goal against Spain, and an assist against Croatia but was unable to prevent his side from crashing out from the round of 16 of the competition.
Riccardo Calafiori Age
Riccardo Calafiori is 22 years of age. He was born in 19 May, 2002 and that makes him 22 years of age as of 2024.
Riccardo Calafiori Wife
Riccardo Calafiori is not yet married. However, he was rumored to be in a relationship with Benedetta Beomi. The pair eventually broke up and nothing about a reunion has ever since surfaced.
Riccardo Calafiori Current Team
Riccardo Calafiori’s current team is Arsenal. He completed a move to Arsenal in July 2024.
Riccardo Calafiori Position
In Calafiori’s early career, he started as a left-back. However, under the tutelage of coach Thiago Motta at Bologna, he was deployed as a center-back. In fact, because of the impressive performances of Riccardo Calafiori in that position, he was the first-choice center-back for the gaffer. In Arsenal, he is expected to compete for the left-back and the center-back positions.
Riccardo Calafiori Strong Foot
Riccardo Calafiori is a left-footed defender. This means that he can be functional at the left back position and equally at the center back position. His profile comes in timely as there is a scarcity of promising and young left-footed defenders in the European transfer market.
Riccardo Calafiori Style Of Play
One of Riccardo Calafiori’s biggest strengths is his ball-playing ability. He can start the attack by starting the play from the back. This greatly helps him to absorb the pressure and release an extra player in the build-up to the attack. In modern football, this ability is greatly valued as opposed to orthodox defending methods.
Riccardo Calafiori also thrives in a change of system. He is well experienced in handling defensive shifts that could happen in a match. In his previous clubs, Riccardo Calafiori has been played in a 4-man or 3-man defense. This has helped him become a regular starter almost every time he has played for.
Conclusion
Riccard Calafiori has been dubbed to become the next Italian Maldini. Well, this can be possible in his career. His rise to the top is already evidence that something great might just be cooking in this young footballer’s career. Well, as spectators, we can only sit and keep our fingers crossed on what becomes of his career.
