Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has passionately detailed the euphoric scenes inside the dressing room after the club’s historic Premier League title triumph. The Italian international acknowledged that the decisive stumble by Manchester City at Bournemouth unleashed an immediate wave of emotion, concluding a 22-year wait for a national championship.
An italian star reflects on his dream
With the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain approaching this weekend, Calafiori reflected on the sheer scale of Arsenal’s domestic title celebrations.
The Gunners were officially crowned Premier League champions on May 19, when their nearest challengers, Manchester City, were held to a 1-1 draw on the road against Bournemouth. Calafiori, who made 26 appearances during a stellar season, later lifted the trophy after a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on the final day, which ensured his team finished the campaign with a seven-point lead.
Calafiori recounts the dressing room moment
The versatile defender recalled the precise moment Mikel Arteta’s squad knew they had finally crossed the finish line as champions. “Winning the Premier League was one of my childhood dreams. And it was incredible, given how the season played out,” Calafiori shared.
“The most intense moment? The final whistle in the Bournemouth-Manchester City match. Everyone just exploded with joy: staff and players were congratulating each other, as if we’d been set free. This title had eluded us for 22 years. Walking through the city, I truly understood the importance of this triumph for the supporters and the local community.”
Discussing his rapid integration into English football under Arteta, Calafiori added: “From our early conversations at the start of the season, I felt the confidence he had in me. It wasn’t a given, I didn’t even expect it. I came here to step out of my comfort zone. The adaptation wasn’t easy; the Premier League is a demanding league. But I would recommend it to many young Italian players.”
Arteta praised for his tactical vision
Calafiori attributes the team’s remarkable cohesion to the club’s patient, long-term strategy and a rigorous approach to managing player workload. The London club appointed Arteta in 2019 and endured several seasons of near misses before finally securing the title this year. Analyzing the key differences between Serie A and the Premier League, Calafiori said: “In Italy, it’s unthinkable to give a manager time if he doesn’t win right away.”
“If the unity at Arsenal is so strong, it’s thanks to Arteta, but also to the club for showing patience. It’s the same for me: I had never spent two seasons at the same club. When I arrived, I was exhausted and thought, ‘I’ll never play here.’ The difference is the weekly schedule and the workload. Here, we play sixty games a year, so training is focused on recovery. The goal is to enter every match in the best possible condition. It’s a mentality.”
The european final awaits
The former Roma youth player will be the only Italian representative in Saturday’s Champions League final in Budapest. Looking ahead to the continental clash against French giants PSG, Calafiori stated: “I’ll have the opportunity to fly my country’s flag high and compete for this trophy, in a year when we couldn’t qualify for the World Cup.”
“I used to play Champions League finals on PlayStation with my best friend, Nicolo Cesaroni, who will be at the stadium to watch me. For now, I’m very calm. It will probably hit me when I get on the plane. An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime, you have to grab it.”
