Inside Arsenal target Riccardo Calafiori’s rise, from career-threatening knee injury to being compared to Paolo Maldini
ARSENAL target Riccardo Calafiori was a knee injury away from never playing again.
The Gunners have reportedly agreed personal terms with the Italy defender but are still working on negotiating a transfer fee with Bologna.
The defender, 22, is believed to be sold on Mikel Arteta’s project and is eager to make the move.
Calafiori has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the past season and has been compared to AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini thanks to some swashbuckling displays.
However, his career could have been over before it started when he suffered a serious knee injury that was compared to a motocross rider falling off his bike.
He did not play for 347 days, following surgery by renowned orthopedic surgeon Freddie Fu.
The left centre-half – who could be joined in London by stunning partner Benedetta Boeme – was discarded by Jose Mourinho at Roma, before rebuilding his career at Basel and then Bologna.
Battling back from adversity
Calafiori was just 16 and had only just signed his first professional contract with Roma when he was told his career might be over.
In a Uefa Youth League game against Viktoria Plzen, he was on the receiving end of a studs-up tackle by Vaclav Svoboda.
His right knee swelled up three times the size of his left, and medical specialists were stunned by what they uncovered.
Astonishingly, all the ligaments had been ruptured, including the meniscus and articular capsule.
“Something like this usually only happens in motocross – not in football,” a medial expert told the Corriere dello Sport.
“It’s an injury that happens only once every ten years.”
News filtered through to the first team of the highly-rated youngster’s plight, with Edin Dzeko dedicating his goal in the Champions League clash with Plzen to Calafiori by raising his shirt in tribute.
The day after, Calafiori vowed to fight for his career.
He wrote on Instagram: “This time, no decisive match, no final to win… There is the most important battle of my life ahead of me, and I certainly cannot back down.
“The time has come to put aside the boy, the, at times, little boy that I have been until now, and become a MAN.
“A bad knee injury will keep me sidelined for a long period and will keep me away from the pitch, but the desire to come back STRONGER than before will increase every day.
“For the umpteenth time I find myself faced with a very difficult challenge but, as always, I will win!!!”
A trusted surgeon
When he was a youth player, Calafiori’s talent stood out as head and shoulders above his peers.
He was immediately snapped up by the late super-agent Mino Raiola.
And Raiola booked his distraught client in to see American surgeon, Freddie Fu.
Fu, who passed away in 2021, performed over 20,000 knee surgeries.
A year before he operated on Calafiori, the Hong Kong doctor repaired Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s ruptured ACL.
When Fu died, the Swedish icon shared a picture on Instagram of the pair together and captioned the photo: ‘Freddie Fu gave me a second chance in my career. I’m still on top just because of him. I owe him everything. Thank you Freddie Fu. Rest in peace.”
The same could be said for Calafiori.
Almost a year later…
After 11 months on the sidelines, Calafiori returned to Roma’s Under-19 side at the start of 2019-20 season.
In the August of that campaign, Calafiori finally got the opportunity to make his debut for Paulo Fonseca’s first team.
In a game against Juventus, he won a penalty and had a goal disallowed. It was some statement by the teenager.
But Fonseca played down the hype.
“Suddenly treating him like he’s the best in the world right now is not helpful for the player,” the Portuguese coach said.
“But we trust he’ll have a great future.”
However, that wasn’t to be at Roma. In the summer of 2021, Fonseca left the club and was replaced by Mourinho.
An image of the Special One studying Calafiori in training circulated on social media.
Clearly, he didn’t fancy him. Within three months, Calafiori was shipped out on loan to Genoa.
Worse was to come.
Rebuilding his career
Like Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi before him, Calafiori was supposed to become a legend at the club.
An unimpressed Mourinho sanctioned a move to Basel at the end of the 2021-2022 season, which cost the Swiss giants just £2.2million.
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De Rossi, now head coach of Roma, recently admitted he still finds that decision to part ways “tough to stomach.”
The move to Switzerland was crucial to Calafiori’s development.
“I played a bit under Mourinho at Roma but I wanted to play more, so I went to Genoa and it didn’t go well,” he told reporters before the Euros.
“There wasn’t space for me there either, so then I went to Basel.
“I wasn’t too convinced, initially. I was almost obliged to go [to find first-team football]. But I immediately changed my mind. They had everything a young player needs to develop. I made 30 appearances for the first time, which helped me grow.”
Calafiori was utilised in the centre back position for Basel, which peaked then Bologna boss Thiago Motta’s interest.
Prodigal son returns
After just a season at Basel, Calafiori was back in Italy after Bologna paid just £3.4million to seal his return.
A reported 50 per cent sell-on release clause was included in the deal, which is said to be holding up negotiations with the Gunners.
Motta was convinced Calafiori could thrive in his favoured 4-3-3 formation, given his flexibility to play at left-back and at the heart of defence.
He also wanted to give him licence to move into the middle of the pitch and charge forward, just like he did for Italy’s 98th minute equaliser against Croatia at Euro 2024 with an assist.
The 2023-2024 season was a breakout campaign for Calafiori, as he helped Bologna to a fifth-placed finish and Champions League qualification.
Team-mate Riccardo Orsolini compared him to Maldini – while Italian striking icon Fabrizio Ravanelli urged Pep Guardiola to sign him as a long-term replacement for John Stones.
Arsenal appear to have stolen a march on their rivals, and will hope to unveil Calafiori, who will be bringing stunning girlfriend Benedetta with him to London, soon.
Should they get the deal over the line, get ready for his swashbuckling runs from the back at the Emirates.
Which would be quite impressive for a man who feared he may never run again.