Riccardo Calafiori he tells his story in a long interview with the BBC during which the Italian defender, who moved to London a few months ago, outlines an initial assessment of his English experience: “I want to fully live this new experience, as if I were truly English. Starting with the language : Since I was a child, I’ve always had a passion for learning them and I started with Netflix and song lyrics. I’m still learning, and I want to get better.” For Calafiori there is also space to talk about off-field issues: “The food in England? I expected worse, it’s not that bad. I also tried the fish and chips, you can do it once a month, even if it’s not healthy.”
After a season as an absolute protagonist with the Bologna shirt, last summer Arsenal spent almost 50 million euros on his contract. The unexpected phone call from Mikel Arteta was decisive: “First he wrote to me, then he asked me if I could call him. He was very humble and helpful with me on the phone. He wanted to explain the situation to me, and where I could improve. He tried to convince me, but in truth I was already convinced. Not only because of Arsenal, but above all because of Mikel.”
The words of De Rossi. “I always ask him his opinion on my most important decisions, and he always gives me good advice. I told him about Arsenal, and he replied: ‘It’s one of the greatest opportunities for you to improve as a player’.”
A thought of gratitude for his last Italian coach, Thiago Motta. “Last season was undoubtedly my best season, and the coach helped me a lot. He was the first to line me up as a central defender, after I had always played as a left back. I wanted to show the Serie A fans that I don’t I was the player they had seen a few years before, I’m happy to have made them think again.”
