Riccardo Calafiori bid farewell to Bologna fans and suggested they ‘made me a better footballer and man’ following his transfer to Arsenal.
The 22-year-old Italian centre back finally completed his circa €50m move to the Gunners on Monday, allowing him to finally start working with Mikel Arteta and his teammates in North London after a long round of negotiations, which was complicated due to the sell-on clause owed to FC Basel.
Calafiori shined at Bologna under Thiago Motta, playing a crucial role in their run to Champions League qualification, and also impressed at the recent European Championship with Italy, where he stood out for his defensive prowess and confidence on the ball.
Calafiori bids farewell
Writing on his Instagram page, Calafiori shared a video of some of his highlights at Bologna and bid farewell to the fans, thanking them for their support over the last year and suggesting they helped him improve on the pitch.
“Dear Rossoblu fans, I wanted to say goodbye by remembering together one of the best moments of the past season for me, which crowned a fantastic year that’ll remain in history.
“Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for everything, the emotions I felt last season will remain forever within me, as will all the people who were part of this beautiful fairy tale, you were fundamental to this feat!
“You made me a better footballer and man, and in return I hope to have made you feel emotional through the field, which in the end is what matters most and which in my opinion is the essence of this sport.
“Forever one of you, sending love.”