Riccardo Calafiori Celebrates Improved Physical Condition After Injury Struggles
Riccardo Calafiori has expressed that he is currently experiencing one of the best physical stages of his career, following a series of injuries that disrupted his initial two seasons with Arsenal.
The defender transferred from Bologna for £40 million in the summer of 2024 and quickly gained popularity. However, persistent knee and muscle injuries made it challenging for him to maintain a consistent presence on the team.
Throughout his first two seasons in England, Calafiori missed 44 matches due to injuries with both club and country.
Before Italy’s 3-1 victory over France at San Siro on Thursday night, Calafiori reflected on his journey and the sense of responsibility he feels with the national team.
“In fact, I begin to feel old,” he said, “but it is a bit early to define myself as a leader, because I have not yet collected many appearances [18 caps].”
“If anything, in every game I try to drag the team with deeds, with actions more than with words. I believe this is my responsibility, also because I am living one of the best periods ever from a physical point of view.”
These comments are particularly encouraging considering the challenges Calafiori has faced since arriving in London.
His debut season was marked by a calf injury in September 2024, knee issues later that same year, a muscle problem in January, and another knee injury from March to May, which sidelined him for approximately six-and-a-half weeks.
Calafiori ended his first season with only 19 Premier League appearances.
Further difficulties arose in the 2025/26 season, where he battled a hip issue in November, a muscle injury that lasted through late December and January, and a knock in April causing another three-week absence.
Despite these setbacks, he managed to improve his league participation to 26 appearances that season.
Most recently, he suffered mild rib discomfort during a match against Everton in October, which caused him to miss the League Cup match against Fleetwood, but quickly returned to training and resumed his position on the team.
Calafiori started against Hull, marking his ninth league match this season out of 10 possible appearances.
Additionally, he began for Italy and played the full 90 minutes as they triumphed against a France side missing Arsenal players.
