Riccardo Calafiori has hailed Arsenal’s Premier League triumph as the pinnacle of his career, describing it as “the best day of my life,” but revealed tensions within the squad over the subsequent open-top bus parade following their Champions League final heartbreak.
The Italy international, now 24 and entering his third season with Arsenal, reflected on his meteoric rise and key career highlights in an exclusive interview. Having scored his maiden international goal for Italy and his first home goal for the Gunners recently, Calafiori is riding a wave of personal and team success. Yet nothing compares to the euphoria of Arsenal’s 2025-26 Premier League title win.
“It’s hard to explain, but it was incredibly satisfying and also a great relief for the entire club and the Arsenal family,” Calafiori said. “All the players were together that night, at the training ground, watching Manchester City against Bournemouth. And we were all together celebrating. It was just amazing. It’s the best day of my life, for sure, because it was also my birthday. It was crazy.”
Before his Arsenal breakthrough, Calafiori reminisced about an early triumph that left a lasting mark on him. At 13 or 14, while already involved with Roma’s youth setup, he captained a mixed school team—featuring a female teammate—to victory in a prestigious tournament in Rome. “We weren’t expected to win it. But we did really well. It was difficult but we came together as a really good team and we won it,” he recalled.
Despite Arsenal’s historic Premier League success, the heartbreak of losing the Champions League final on penalties to PSG last season still lingers. The following day’s open-top bus parade in North London was initially met with resistance within the squad.
“Even the parade. It would have been a little complicated, because it was the morning after losing the Champions League final,” Calafiori admitted. “Some of us were talking on the plane back from Hungary, saying we really didn’t want to do it. But then when we saw how many people were there, we freaked out! In the end, it was the right thing to do, because it was still an incredible season for us. You can’t let that Champions League final condition you—you have to see the bigger picture, and it was amazing.”
Calafiori’s stellar form has not gone unnoticed, earning him a spot in Football Italia’s Italian Team of the Week for recent European league performances. As he continues to carve out a key role at Arsenal, his blend of youthful promise and seasoned experience promises to be pivotal for both club and country in the seasons ahead.
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