Riccardo Calafiori has a tattoo on his bicep that reads “never give up.” The words are an inspiration to him.
For the defender who plays for Arsenal and Italy, who is 22 years old, this serves as a reminder of how close he came to having his aspirations of a career in football dashed before it had even begun.
While playing for AS Roma in a Uefa Youth League match when he was 16 years old, Calafiori sustained a devastating knee injury that resulted in the rupture of all of the ligaments in one of his knees.
Given the severity of the situation, he was afraid that he could even have trouble walking, let alone kick a ball again.
At the time, he explained, “This was my very first tattoo, and it was for this reason.”
“It was a really difficult situation. It was when I was 16 years old that you started to believe that I would never be able to play football again.
On the other hand, Calafiori did make his way back onto the field, and this summer, he fulfilled a lifelong ambition of his by signing with the Gunners for a fee of forty-two million pounds.
During the episode of Football Focus that airs on Saturday, he has a conversation with Ronan Kemp, a presenter who is also a fan of Arsenal. They discuss the circumstances surrounding his move to the Gunners, speak about how he learned English through Netflix and UK drill music, and share his thoughts on fish and chips.
As a result of his recuperation and the guidance of De Rossi, “No fear”
Despite the fact that it may not have seemed like it at the time, Calafiori attributes his current level of success as a player to the major injury that he sustained.
“As you mature into a man, you develop a greater appreciation for the little things in life,” he added. “It assisted me in becoming a more skilled player.
“When I first returned, I remember that I was going into every duel like crazy, and I had no fear anymore,” she said. “I had no fear anymore.”
During the course of his recuperation, Daniele de Rossi, a legend of both Roma and Italy, paid him several visits in the hospital. In addition, he provided the young Calafiori with transportation to his physiotherapy sessions.
Calafiori not only looked up to De Rossi as a player, having fantasized of playing alongside him when he was a boy, but the two ended up becoming friends, with De Rossi continuing to play a significant part in Calafiori’s professional decisions to this day.
He continued by saying, “He is one of my friends, and I always ask him about my most important decisions, and he always gives me good advice for those decisions.”
There was a conversation I had with him about going to Arsenal, and he told me that this is one of the most significant possibilities for me to progress as a player.
