'Never give up' - Calafiori's journey from big injury to Premier League

On Riccardo Calafiori's limb there's a tattoo featuring the words "never springiness up".

For the 22-year-old Arsenal and Italy defender it is simply a reminder of conscionable however adjacent helium came to his dreams of a vocation successful shot being ended earlier it had truly started.

At the property of 16, Calafiori suffered a superior genu wounded portion playing successful a Uefa Youth League lucifer for AS Roma, rupturing each of the ligaments successful 1 of his knees.

It was truthful atrocious helium feared helium adjacent mightiness conflict to walk, fto unsocial footwear a shot again.

"This was my archetypal tattoo and it was for this reason," helium said.

"It was truthful tough. I was 16 and abruptly you commencement to deliberation I can't play shot ever again."

But Calafiori did instrumentality to the transportation and this summertime realised a imagination of playing successful the Premier League arsenic helium joined the Gunners for £42m.

On Saturday's Football Focus, helium sits down with presenter and Arsenal instrumentality Ronan Kemp to speech astir however the determination to the Gunners came about, learning English done Netflix and UK drill music, and springiness his thoughts connected food and chips.

It whitethorn not person felt similar it astatine the time, but that superior wounded is what Calafiori credits for making him into the subordinate helium is today.

"You admit much tiny things and you turn up arsenic a man," helium explained. "It helped maine go a amended player.

"I retrieve the archetypal period I came backmost I was going into each duel similar crazy, I had nary fearfulness immoderate more."

During his betterment helium was visited successful infirmary regularly by Roma and Italy fable Daniele de Rossi, who besides gave the teenage Calafiori lifts to his physio sessions.

Not lone did Calafiori look up to De Rossi arsenic player, having dreamed of playing alongside him erstwhile helium was a child, but the 2 besides became friends, with the second to this time playing a cardinal relation successful Calafiori's vocation decisions.

"He is 1 of my friends and I ever inquire him astir my biggest decisions and helium ever gives maine bully advice," helium added.

"I spoke to him astir coming to Arsenal and helium said 'this 1 of the biggest opportunities for you to amended arsenic a player'."

It took astir a afloat twelvemonth for Calafiori to retrieve from wounded but the agelong roadworthy to a vocation successful shot was implicit successful August 2020, erstwhile helium made his afloat debut for Roma.

He made a full of 10 Serie A appearances for the Italians and besides had a spell connected indebtedness astatine Genoa, earlier deciding to marque a imperishable determination to Swiss broadside Basel successful 2022.

"It was the champion prime I ever made," said Calafiori. "[Moving abroad] you larn a batch arsenic a subordinate and a man.

"It was the archetypal clip I was surviving unsocial extracurricular my country. You person to bash each the things your own. If you person a atrocious day, you are alone.

"They gave maine the accidental to consciousness similar a subordinate for the archetypal time. I felt important for this club."

Calafiori spent a play astatine Basel but, having been incapable to found himself astatine his archetypal nine Roma, helium felt determination was unfinished concern backmost location and secured a determination to Bologna.

"I wanted to beryllium to Serie A fans I was not the subordinate who played determination before, I wanted to beryllium them wrong," helium said.

It proved the close determination arsenic helium swiftly became a cardinal subordinate for the Italians, helping them to unafraid a instrumentality to the Champions League for the archetypal clip successful 60 years.

Calafiori credits Bologna's manager astatine the time, Thiago Motta, with helping his vocation instrumentality disconnected by switching him from left-back to being a cardinal defender.

"Last play was my champion season," Calafiori added.

"The manager helped maine a lot. He was the archetypal feline who enactment maine arsenic a centre-back aft I had ever played left-back, past I had my champion play truthful far."

For Calafiori, a sightseeing travel to London successful January - which included a sojourn to the Emirates to ticker an Arsenal crippled - would yet acceptable him connected the way to joining the Gunners.

"I came arsenic a coincidence to sojourn the city, I had ne'er been before," helium said.

"Arsenal were playing Crystal Palace, they won 5-0. At that constituent I wasn't adjacent reasoning astir coming to the Premier League."

Four months later, successful May, helium spoke to Arsenal brag Mikel Arteta astir the anticipation of joining Arsenal.

"He archetypal wrote to maine and past said tin I telephone you," added Calafiori.

"It was truthful humble and truthful casual connected the phone. He wanted to explicate the concern and what they thought astir me, what I could improve.

"He tried to person maine but I was already convinced. Not conscionable due to the fact that it is Arsenal but due to the fact that it is Mikel."

Having breached into the Italy squad for the archetypal clip earlier this year, Calafiori enactment each his absorption connected the European Championship aft helium was named successful their squad for the tournament.

While connected planetary work helium spoke much with Gunners midfielder Jorghino, who helped person him the transportation to the Emirates was the close one, and helium sealed the determination connected 29 July.

"During my archetypal grooming league I was reasoning ‘is this real?’," said Calafiori.

"When seeing the Arsenal logo, could I ever deliberation I would beryllium present now...

"It is specified an astonishing journey."

Injury connected planetary work disrupted his commencement to beingness astatine the Gunners but helium made his afloat debut connected 22 September against rubric rivals Manchester City and scored an outrageous onslaught into the apical corner.

"When the shot was played to me, I thought let's conscionable sprout into what you telephone 'top bins'," helium joked.

But though the onslaught was perfect, helium did admit his pointing solemnisation had nary meaning and is "embarrassed" watching it back.

"It was not myself who ran - I was blank," helium laughed. "It was different person!"

Alongside his usage of the operation "top bins", Calafiori's English is impressive.

"Since I was a kid, I ever had a passionateness to larn languages and started with Netflix and the lyrics of songs - UK drill.

"I americium inactive learning and privation to improve."

Now successful England, helium is determined to propulsion himself into the civilization arsenic good arsenic the shot and, contempt leaving a state with a affluent culinary history, helium has recovered himself enjoying the nutrient here.

"I expected worse from the nutrient successful England, it is not truthful bad," helium said.

"Fish and chips I person tried - erstwhile per period possibly you tin bash this, but it isn't healthy.

"I privation to consciousness the full experience, I privation to go an English idiosyncratic and clasp it."

Watch the afloat interrogation with Riccardo Calafiori connected Football Focus connected Saturday, 18 October connected BBC One astatine 12:00 BST.