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Calafiori could be Italy’s new main man

Calafiori could be Italy’s new main man

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There is something about a long-haired, headband wearing Italian defender that just feels right. Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, and now, the latest member of this exclusive club, Riccardo Calafiori.

By Alex Roberts

Calafiori would no doubt be delighted if he ended his career with half the accolades of his slicked-back compatriots, but that’s not to say his rise to prominence in the Italian side has been earned, if a little unorthodox.

Rome born and raised, the 22-year-old started his career at Roma, although it nearly ended as quickly as it had begun. At 16, Calafiori suffered a knee injury in a UEFA Youth League Cup game. The prognosis wasn’t good. Many believe that his career was over just after signing his first ever professional contract.

Vaclav Svoboda’s studs had been so dangerous, every single ligament in Calafiori’s knee had been ruptured. Specialists said it was the type of injury that only happens in motorcross, not football. Not many players come back from that.

Yet, 347 days later, Calafiori was back and desperate to live up to the hype. Giallorossi fans were well aware of his ability, even after the injury. Could he be the one to continue the legacy of Francesco Totti and Daniele de Rossi? A local lad, born to lead his boyhood club to glory.

José Mourinho had other ideas. In recent years, Mourinho has earned a reputation for inexplicably throwing young players under the bus, Calafiori was just another youngster to the Portoguese, not to be relied upon and shipped out to add much needed funds. 

It wasn’t meant to be at Roma. Calafiori found himself loaned out to Genoa, where he only made three league appearances before being permanently sold to Swiss giants Basel.

Italian footballers don’t, traditionally, tend to leave the motherland, and who can blame them. Switzerland isn’t far away, but the cultural differences between Rome and Basel are striking. Swapping Spaghetti Carbonara for Basler flour soup isn’t for everyone.

Calafiori needed convincing, but the promise of finally playing consistent, first team football at a high standard sold him the idea. With a need to prove himself, the move ended up being a good decision for all parties.

Signing on a three-year deal, on August 30th 2022, yet another injury delayed his debut for the club, but once he got going, Calafiori quickly became one Basel’s best performers.

Under Alexander Frei, the Italian played most of his football in his natural left-back position, wandering slightly further up the pitch every now and again to help add another attacking dynamic.

But Basel were way off the pace, and Frei was replaced by Heiko Vogel in February of last year. Vogel was impressed by Calafiori’s defensive aptitude, and decided he may be better off as a centre-back after all.

Standing at 6 ft 2 in, he certainly has the natural physical attributes to succeed in one of football’s most demanding positions. Combine that with his innate calmness on the ball, he was an instant revelation. 

It turned out to be a disappointing season for Basel, ending up in fifth, but Calafiori caught the attention of Thiago Motta and Bologna.

Motta is a tactical innovator. He recently collectively blew the minds of football Twitter when he spoke about his 2-7-2 formation. It was incomprehensible for the armchair fans; how could that possibly work!?

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Motta later clarified that the numbers don’t refer to the team’s usual vertical formation. Instead, they reflect the team’s alignment from his perspective on the sideline. He places two players on the flanks and seven in the centre, resulting in a 2-7-2 formation when viewed from the side.

Bologna signed Calafiori for a reported €4 million, although Basel were a little smarter than Roma and had a 40% sell-on clause added to the deal. The defender fit into Motta’s plans seamlessly and has had arguably the best breakout season in Europe.

Italian defenders aren’t known for their quality on the ball in recent times, it’s perhaps an unfair stereotype, but that’s where Calafiori excels. With an impressive range of passing techniques, he compled 1602 passes, 76 accurate long balls, creating 17 chances, and providing 5 assists in Serie A this season.

His ability to progress the ball is remarkable. Frequently dribbling past opponents using his strength and speed, he managed 13 dribbles in the league last season. Calafiori could be seen as a perfect hybrid of a wing-back, centre-back, and midfielder, making him an ideal modern defender. 

He consistently delivered strong performances for Bologna, coming back to haunt Roma in Bologna’s 3-1 win in April. In the 14th minute, he advanced the ball into the left channel and executed a delightful chip, which El Azzouzi finished with a stunning overhead kick.

Calafiori had a solid game, creating two chances, completing five headed and normal clearances each, and recovering the ball four times. De Rossi looked on from the side-lines with tears in his eyes, thinking about what could have been. Not literally of course, that man is hard as nails.

With their new poster-boy at the back, Bologna qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Calafiori’s partner made headlines as she marked her territory in his mid-celebration interview. It’s hard to blame her, the man now has clubs all over Europe wanting to do the same thing.

Motta is now the coach who has been tasked with leading Juventus into their brave new era, and according to reports, they’re still favourites to sign Calafiori, should he decide to leave Bologna. 

That won’t stop Premier League clubs from trying though. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and even Spurs have all been linked with moves for the defender. Making a move to the Prem would be a surprise though. 

For now though, whatever happens at club level will likely be right at the back of Calafiori’s mind, he has a European Championship to retain with Italy. 

The current holders are going through a transitional period with Luciano Spalletti at the helm. They no longer have their defensive old guard, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. They may not have had long hair and headbands, but they were pretty damn good. 

Italy’s qualifying campaign wasn’t great, but they made it to the tournament, unlike the 2022 World Cup. Now the hard work has begun. 

A relatively convincing 2-1 win over Albania in their first game will have helped settle some nerves. Calafiori impressed alongside his new centre-back partner, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni. 

Today is their first real test of the tournament though. Spain’s convincing 3-0 victory over an albeit ponderous Croatia side has pundits and fans thinking they may be one of the favourites for the trophy. Italy won’t like that.

Spanish flair against Italian ruggedness, this could very easily have been the final, instead, it’s in the group stages. Calafiori will be up against now 31-year-old Álvaro Morata, Nico Williams, and wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

His club future might be up in the air, but one thing is for certain, Calafiori has a big future ahead of him. Now he’s Italy’s new main man, he has work to do if he wants to fill the football boots of those that came before him.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Calafiori could be Italy’s new main man

There is something about a long-haired, headband wearing Italian defender that just feels right. Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, and now, the latest member of this exclusive club, Riccardo Calafiori.

By Alex Roberts

Calafiori would no doubt be delighted if he ended his career with half the accolades of his slicked-back compatriots, but that’s not to say his rise to prominence in the Italian side has been earned, if a little unorthodox.

Rome born and raised, the 22-year-old started his career at Roma, although it nearly ended as quickly as it had begun. At 16, Calafiori suffered a knee injury in a UEFA Youth League Cup game. The prognosis wasn’t good. Many believe that his career was over just after signing his first ever professional contract.

Vaclav Svoboda’s studs had been so dangerous, every single ligament in Calafiori’s knee had been ruptured. Specialists said it was the type of injury that only happens in motorcross, not football. Not many players come back from that.

Yet, 347 days later, Calafiori was back and desperate to live up to the hype. Giallorossi fans were well aware of his ability, even after the injury. Could he be the one to continue the legacy of Francesco Totti and Daniele de Rossi? A local lad, born to lead his boyhood club to glory.

José Mourinho had other ideas. In recent years, Mourinho has earned a reputation for inexplicably throwing young players under the bus, Calafiori was just another youngster to the Portoguese, not to be relied upon and shipped out to add much needed funds. 

It wasn’t meant to be at Roma. Calafiori found himself loaned out to Genoa, where he only made three league appearances before being permanently sold to Swiss giants Basel.

Italian footballers don’t, traditionally, tend to leave the motherland, and who can blame them. Switzerland isn’t far away, but the cultural differences between Rome and Basel are striking. Swapping Spaghetti Carbonara for Basler flour soup isn’t for everyone.

Calafiori needed convincing, but the promise of finally playing consistent, first team football at a high standard sold him the idea. With a need to prove himself, the move ended up being a good decision for all parties.

Signing on a three-year deal, on August 30th 2022, yet another injury delayed his debut for the club, but once he got going, Calafiori quickly became one Basel’s best performers.

Under Alexander Frei, the Italian played most of his football in his natural left-back position, wandering slightly further up the pitch every now and again to help add another attacking dynamic.

But Basel were way off the pace, and Frei was replaced by Heiko Vogel in February of last year. Vogel was impressed by Calafiori’s defensive aptitude, and decided he may be better off as a centre-back after all.

Standing at 6 ft 2 in, he certainly has the natural physical attributes to succeed in one of football’s most demanding positions. Combine that with his innate calmness on the ball, he was an instant revelation. 

It turned out to be a disappointing season for Basel, ending up in fifth, but Calafiori caught the attention of Thiago Motta and Bologna.

Motta is a tactical innovator. He recently collectively blew the minds of football Twitter when he spoke about his 2-7-2 formation. It was incomprehensible for the armchair fans; how could that possibly work!?

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Motta later clarified that the numbers don’t refer to the team’s usual vertical formation. Instead, they reflect the team’s alignment from his perspective on the sideline. He places two players on the flanks and seven in the centre, resulting in a 2-7-2 formation when viewed from the side.

Bologna signed Calafiori for a reported €4 million, although Basel were a little smarter than Roma and had a 40% sell-on clause added to the deal. The defender fit into Motta’s plans seamlessly and has had arguably the best breakout season in Europe.

Italian defenders aren’t known for their quality on the ball in recent times, it’s perhaps an unfair stereotype, but that’s where Calafiori excels. With an impressive range of passing techniques, he compled 1602 passes, 76 accurate long balls, creating 17 chances, and providing 5 assists in Serie A this season.

His ability to progress the ball is remarkable. Frequently dribbling past opponents using his strength and speed, he managed 13 dribbles in the league last season. Calafiori could be seen as a perfect hybrid of a wing-back, centre-back, and midfielder, making him an ideal modern defender. 

He consistently delivered strong performances for Bologna, coming back to haunt Roma in Bologna’s 3-1 win in April. In the 14th minute, he advanced the ball into the left channel and executed a delightful chip, which El Azzouzi finished with a stunning overhead kick.

Calafiori had a solid game, creating two chances, completing five headed and normal clearances each, and recovering the ball four times. De Rossi looked on from the side-lines with tears in his eyes, thinking about what could have been. Not literally of course, that man is hard as nails.

With their new poster-boy at the back, Bologna qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Calafiori’s partner made headlines as she marked her territory in his mid-celebration interview. It’s hard to blame her, the man now has clubs all over Europe wanting to do the same thing.

Motta is now the coach who has been tasked with leading Juventus into their brave new era, and according to reports, they’re still favourites to sign Calafiori, should he decide to leave Bologna. 

That won’t stop Premier League clubs from trying though. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and even Spurs have all been linked with moves for the defender. Making a move to the Prem would be a surprise though. 

For now though, whatever happens at club level will likely be right at the back of Calafiori’s mind, he has a European Championship to retain with Italy. 

The current holders are going through a transitional period with Luciano Spalletti at the helm. They no longer have their defensive old guard, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. They may not have had long hair and headbands, but they were pretty damn good. 

Italy’s qualifying campaign wasn’t great, but they made it to the tournament, unlike the 2022 World Cup. Now the hard work has begun. 

A relatively convincing 2-1 win over Albania in their first game will have helped settle some nerves. Calafiori impressed alongside his new centre-back partner, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni. 

Today is their first real test of the tournament though. Spain’s convincing 3-0 victory over an albeit ponderous Croatia side has pundits and fans thinking they may be one of the favourites for the trophy. Italy won’t like that.

Spanish flair against Italian ruggedness, this could very easily have been the final, instead, it’s in the group stages. Calafiori will be up against now 31-year-old Álvaro Morata, Nico Williams, and wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

His club future might be up in the air, but one thing is for certain, Calafiori has a big future ahead of him. Now he’s Italy’s new main man, he has work to do if he wants to fill the football boots of those that came before him.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.