Riccardo Calafiori (born 19 May 2002) is an Italian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and the Italy national team. Calafiori began his senior career with

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

. He featured sparingly for the club, being loaned out to

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

before departing to

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

and later

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. In July 2024, he joined Premier League club Arsenal for an initial fee of £33.6 million. Calafiori has represented

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

through various youth levels since 2017, and made his senior debut in June 2024. He played for Italy during

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...

, starting in all three group matches.

Club career

Roma

A youth product of

, Calafiori signed his first contract with them on 16 June 2018. Calafiori suffered a near career-ending injury to his knee on 2 October 2018. Calafiori made his professional as well as

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

debut with AS Roma in a 3–1 away victory against

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

on 1 August 2020. During the match, he won a penalty which was successfully converted by teammate

Diego Perotti Diego Perotti Almeira (born 26 July 1988) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer. Mainly a Midfielder#Winger, winger who could play with both feet, he also appeared as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking ...

, and Calafiori also scored a goal with a strike from distance following a corner. However, the goal was disallowed, as the ball had previously gone out of play. The following season, on 3 December 2020, Calafiori was brought on by Roma coach

Paulo Fonseca Paulo Alexandre Rodrigues Fonseca (born 5 March 1973) is a Portuguese professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a central defender. He is currently manager of Ligue 1 club ...

as Leonardo Spinazzola's substitute, and scored his first professional goal in Roma's home win against Young Boys in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. On 14 January 2022, Calafiori joined

on loan.

Basel

On 30 August 2022, Roma announced that Calafiori had joined

on a permanent deal. Calafiori signed a three-year contract with them and joined Basel's first team for their 2022–23 season under head coach

Alexander Frei Alexander Frei or Alex Frei (born 15 July 1979) is a Swiss professional football coach and a former player who played as a forward. He was most recently head coach of FC Aarau in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football. Fr ...

. Calafiori played his domestic league debut for his new club in the away game at the

Cornaredo Cornaredo ( Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan. Cornaredo borders the following municipalities: Rho Rho (; uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ...

on 9 October 2022 as Basel were defeated 1–0 by

Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...

. His beginnings with the team were difficult, but as the season evolved, Calafiori became secure and advance to become a regular starting player. He scored his first (and only) goal for his new team on 16 March 2023 in the away game at

Tehelné pole Tehelné pole or National football stadium () is a multi-use stadium in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was completed in 2019 and is used for football matches, including the home matches of ŠK Slovan Bratislava and the Slovakia national football tea ...

as Basel played a 2–2 draw with Slovan Bratislava in the round of 16 of the 2022–23 Conference League. The game ended with an aggregate score 4–4. In the penalty shoot-out Calafiori also netted his attempt as Basel won this to continue in the next round. His goal in the second leg was an important contribution to FCB's route to the semi-finals of this competition. Eventually in the semi-final, their campaign came to an unlucky end in the 10th minute of added time of the extra-time, because then they conceded the decider and were defeated by

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

. With his strong performances, especially in the second half of the season, Calafiori aroused the interest of several clubs from his homeland and before returning to Italy at the end of August. During his time with the club, Calafiori played a total of 44 games for Basel scoring just that one afore mentioned goal. 26 of these games were in the

Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...

, three in the

Swiss Cup The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup competition that has been organised annually since 1925–26 season by the Swiss Football Association. The Swiss Cup final is usually the most important game of the year with a high attendance. The co ...

, nine in the Conference League and six were friendly games.

Bologna

On 31 August 2023, Calafiori returned to

and signed with

alongside Basel teammate Dan Ndoye. Under head coach

Thiago Motta Thiago Motta (; ; born 28 August 1982) is a professional Association football, football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Juventus FC, Juventus. A Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder, Mott ...

, he was switched to a

role, where he emerged as one of the best players in the league. On 20 May 2024, he scored his first Serie A goals by netting a brace in a 3–3 draw against Juventus, with Bologna conceding three quick goals following his substitution in the 75th minute. Throughout the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

, he helped Bologna qualify for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

for the first time since 1964–65, ensuring a top-five finish in Serie A.

Arsenal

On 29 July 2024, Calafiori joined

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

on a long-term contract for an initial reported fee of £33.6 million, rising to £42 million with add-ons. He made his debut against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

on 24 August 2024. On 22 September, on his first full start for Arsenal, Calafiori scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

at the

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53,600, making it the 7t ...

, scoring from outside the box following a drop pass from

Gabriel Martinelli Gabriel Teodoro Martinelli Silva (born 18 June 2001) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for club Arsenal and the Brazil national team. Martinelli began his senior career playing for Ituano and sig ...

. The goal was later voted Arsenal's goal of the month for September on the club's website. Calafiori scored his second for the Gunners on 25 January 2025, this time a 74th minute away winner at

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

. Two months later, on 4 March, he netted his first Champions League goal in a 7–1 away win over

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

during the

Round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

International career

On 3 September 2021, Calafiori made his debut with the Italy U21 squad, playing as a substitute in the

qualifying Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

match against

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, which Italy won 3–0. On 23 May 2024, he received his first official call-up to the Italy senior national team, being included in the preliminary squad for

by manager

Luciano Spalletti Luciano Spalletti (; born 7 March 1959) is an Italian Association football, football Association football manager, manager and former association footballer, player. He was most recently the manager of the Italy national football team, Italian n ...

. He debuted for the senior team on 4 June, coming on as a substitute for

Federico Dimarco Federico Dimarco (born 10 November 1997) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a left wing-back or left back for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Italy national team. He is known for his pace, crossing, and threatening goal-scoring ...

in the 85th minute of a goalless friendly draw against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Having subsequently been confirmed in the final squad for UEFA Euro 2024, Calafiori made his competitive debut on 15 June, starting in a 2–1 victory over

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

in the

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

; at 22 years and 27 days, he became the second-youngest defender to play for Italy in the

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

, behind only

Paolo Maldini Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian football executive and former professional footballer who played as a left-back or as a centre-back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greates ...

. He scored an own goal in Italy's 1–0 defeat to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in their second match. In their final group stage match against

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, he assisted Mattia Zaccagni's stoppage-time equaliser in a 1–1 draw that sent Italy through to the

round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

with a second-place finish. However, he also received a booking during the match, which ruled him out of Italy's second round fixture against

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, after which Italy were eliminated from the tournament following a 2–0 defeat.

Style of play

A left-footed defender, Calafiori started out playing as a

or left-sided wing-back, before being shifted to a centre-back role during his spell at

, under manager

, due to his ability to start attacking plays from the back with his passing range, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A during the 2023–24 season. Tactically, he is capable of playing in a back three or a back four, and is known for his anticipation, as well as his aggressive and physical style when putting pressure on opponents. A quick and powerful player, he has been mainly praised for his technique and his shooting prowess from distance, while also being known for his ball-carrying ability. His height also makes him effective in aerial duels. As a full-back, he was capable of getting forward to provide crosses from the touchline, or assisting his team defensively with his quick recoveries. Considered to be one of the most promising Italian talents of his generation, he was included in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'''s 2019 Next Generation list of the 60 best young talents in world football, before being named as one of

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

's "50 for the future" in 2021.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Individual * Serie A Player of the Month: May 2024 *

Serie A Team of the Year The AIC Serie A Team of the Year (in Italian: ''Squadra dell’anno AIC'') is an annual award given to a set of eleven footballers in the top tier of Football in Italy, Italian football, the Serie A, who are considered to have performed the best d ...

: 2023–24

References

External links

Profile
at the Arsenal F.C. website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calafiori, Riccardo 2002 births Living people Footballers from Rome Italian men's footballers Men's association football defenders AS Roma players Genoa CFC players FC Basel players Bologna FC 1909 players Arsenal F.C. players Serie A players Swiss Super League players Premier League players Italy men's youth international footballers Italy men's under-21 international footballers Italy men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2024 players Italian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Italian expatriate sportspeople in England Italian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland 21st-century Italian sportsmen