Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori complains about living in London | Football | Sport
Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori has confessed that the single element of London life he finds utterly unbearable is the sheer volume of traffic, which has led him to abandon owning a car altogether. He relocated to England’s capital from Italy, where he lived in a considerably smaller city. Consequently, journeys can prove rather lengthy and it remains something Calafiori has struggled to adapt to.
Arsenal’s training facility sits right on the edge of the M25 in London Colney, whilst the Emirates Stadium lies approximately 15 miles within the London ring road. Calafiori, being unmarried without young children, admits he wishes to experience city life, though few of his colleagues share his desire for the metropolitan lifestyle.
This means his commute to training stretches to nearly an hour and he finds certain English driving customs baffling.
Speaking on the Supernova podcast, Calafiori said: “I don’t drive, but I get around with a driver. I prefer not to drive here. I don’t have a car, but I can drive. I don’t like how they drive here. They follow the rules too much and are a bit slow. Sometimes you see these big traffic jams for no reason. Unfortunately, that’s just how it is here. Everyone has their ways.
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“I live quite far away from my team-mates; nobody lives where I live. It’s a London thing. Most of them have families and kids and live in houses near the training ground. I’m younger, and on my own, so I prefer living in the city. Normally, we check in by 9.15. It takes about 50 minutes to get there.”
Calafiori continues to feature as a rotation option at the Emirates, having started just over half of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures this campaign. The defender arrived from Bologna in the summer of 2024 but has already expressed his desire for a future return to his native Italy with Roma, where he started his professional journey.
Arsenal could ultimately pay £42million for Calafiori should all performance-related clauses be triggered, yet he’s already contemplating an eventual switch back to the Stadio Olimpico. His departure from Roma proved necessary to revitalise his career, taking him to Swiss heavyweights Basel before a Serie A comeback with Bologna.
Nevertheless, his ambitions lie in returning to the capital. “I’d like to return to Roma sooner or later,” Calafiori revealed to Corriere dello Sport.
“We can’t plan it, of course, but yes, I want to return.”
His time in the Italian capital amounted to just 18 appearances before seeking opportunities elsewhere. Whilst Arsenal’s squad depth has been praised as a considerable strength, the level of competition inevitably means certain players will pursue more consistent playing time.
