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Riccardo Calafiori discusses moving on from Roma and Mourinho’s teachings

Andy Mattioli
I

Former Roma fullback Riccardo Calafiori – who joined Swiss side Basel on a permanent deal from the capital club in the summer – spoke about his years with Roma, coming up through the Primavera, and the possibility of returning to the Italian capital in the future.

“Roma was my dream, and I fulfilled it, I played many games for the club, experienced many exciting nights,” he said in a Twitch interview with Cronache di Spogliatoio.

“I will never forget that goal against Young Boys. Yes, it is one of my regrets to have scored behind closed doors due to Covid. But I did my fair share. could have stayed longer but I crowned my dream.”

“I’ve always had a good relationship with Mourinho, as a person he says things to your face. Whether he likes you or not he tells you clearly what he thinks of you. As can happen to everyone, if you do well he compliments you otherwise he tells you where you went wrong.”

“He didn’t give up on me. He always wants to see if you can react appropriately. Then when he sees that reaction, he gives you a hug. He left me with a lot to think about. He taught me things which I will carry with me for the rest of my career. Thanks to him, now I can approach new experiences more calmly, I know how to deal with difficulties.”

“Let’s say it’s not necessarily a final goodbye, you never know, anything can happen. If you leave permanently, you have more chances to play, you have more chances to fight for your new team. For example, I was on loan at Genoa and the opposite happened, I played very little or nothing.”

“The future? I have two images in my mind: going back to Italy, perhaps back to Roma, or my other dream which would be to play in the Premier League. I really like West Ham or Chelsea.”

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